Residents of a Kirkcaldy multi-storey say they are terrified of a Grenfell-style disaster if the town’s fire station loses its height appliance.
Forth View Tenants and Residents’ Association has written to Scotland’s fire chiefs to voice serious concerns over the move.
And they don’t accept assurances given by assistant chief fire officer David Farries that the withdrawal will not put them at increased risk.
The three Esplanade blocks are seven stories high and contain 126 flats in total.
And the nearest aerial appliance will be based at Dunfermline following fire service cuts in September.
Tenants and residents’ association chairman Tony Whinfield said: “It’s going to be 45 minutes away from our high-rise flats. That’s crazy.
“I know Mr Farries is a professional and we have to listen to him.
“But he has to listen to our concerns too and we don’t think he is.”
‘It just has to happen once’
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) announced at the end of May it was cutting 10 appliances from stations across Scotland in a bid to save £11 million.
They include pumps in Methil, Glenrothes and Dunfermline as well as the Kirkcaldy height appliance.
Mr Farries attempted to quell fears in an interview with The Courier on Thursday.
He said the height appliance had not been used to rescue people from fire in five years.
This is because fires are fought internally and the cladding used means the flames don’t spread like they did at Grenfell.
Mr Farries said: “I do understand the concerns of people but they don’t really understand how we respond to fire.
“They are really in a safe environment.”
However, Mr Whinfield responded: “It just has to happen once, as in Grenfell.
“God forbid, if it happens and we do need it, then who will be answerable?
“It’s terrifying to think about it.”
Fire Brigade Union shares residents’ concerns
Kirkcaldy SNP MSP David Torrance held a meeting with senior fire officers to discuss the removal of appliances in Kirkcaldy and Methil.
He said: “I will be arranging a meeting with the Scottish Government’s minister for victims and community safety to discuss what can be done to save these appliances from being taken away from our community.”
The Fire Brigade Union (FBU) also shares the residents’ concerns.
Regional chair Gus Sproul said: “We have seen the response over the past three weeks from local communities and their representatives.
“And that is that they are far less concerned with whether an appliance is rescuing people every day, but that it’s available to respond when needed.
“If community safety is their primary concern then removal of the Fife appliances is difficult to square with that.”
‘Communities deserve to be listened to’
He added: “The FBU understands the SFRS is under real pressure financially.
“This fight has always been about making the case for investment in the service.
“It does seem now though, that the lack of public consultation has…left communities with justifiable concerns.
“Whether the need was immediate or not, the communities we are here to protect surely deserve to be listened to.
“To talk of future station closures and the inevitable loss of hundreds more jobs and ‘an opportunity to rebalance and reshape’ is insulting to our members all over Scotland.”
