A Fife firefighter has told how he fears lives will be put at risk if further cuts to the service are imposed, with stretched crews already fearing disaster.
It comes after a devastating blaze in Lochgelly on Monday which raised concerns that cuts will leave crews struggling to deal with two simultaneous incidents.
The experience firefighter also revealed:
- Methil station was empty for hours because of demands elsewhere.
- Morale is ‘very low’ among colleagues.
- Longer response times affects ability to ‘save lives’.
During the fire in a block of flats in Lochgelly on October 23, there was a second incident reported in Leven.
It was a house fire with people involved, which is one of the most serious incidents, and required an emergency response.
I lie awake at night thinking about scenarios and how we could respond with the resource we have.
– Fife firefighter.
But with most Fife crews tied up in Lochgelly, fire engines from Methil and Cupar had been put on standby in Kirkcaldy and Glenrothes respectively.
It meant that instead of taking mere minutes, the response to the fire in Leven was closer to 15 minutes.
The source – who asked to speak anonymously – said the difference of minutes can have a “massive impact” on their ability to tackle a fire, save lives and limit the damage to property.
He said: “It was approximately 15 minutes. It can have a massive impact. If we aren’t able to tackle a fire promptly and within a reasonable amount of time a fire can get out of control very quickly.
Methil fire station ‘left empty overnight’
“Thankfully it was nothing serious but it did come in as a ‘persons reported’ fire which is one of the more serious incidents.
“They were then sent back to standby in Kirkcaldy, leaving Methil station empty right through until 9:15am the next morning.”
The firefighter said that while the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service say all emergencies will get a response, it is the time it takes to respond which matters.
He said that crews are thinking constantly about the risk to the communities they serve.
‘Morale is low’
“I lie awake at night thinking about scenarios and how we could respond with the resource we have.
“The crews are thinking ‘what if’ constantly. Morale is very low. They know we’ll be on our own until back up arrives.
“If you’re on your own there’s not much you can do until you get that support. Firefighters are really concerned. We all want to do our best by the communities we serve, but it’s difficult when we have one hand tied behind our back.
“It’s difficult when you know there is seven pumps at the job in Lochgelly, and you know the rest of [Fife] is effectively empty.”
We have the capacity to place our network of resources and staff to where they may be required. We always attend every emergency.
– Group Commander Iain Brocklebank.
The warning comes after a new report from firefighters union the FBU claimed the service is in “crisis”.
The FBU is consulting its members over potential strike action in opposition to the cuts they say have been imposed by the Scottish Government.
Firefighters consider strike over cuts
A projected, five-year, flat-cash budget, in place until 2027, has already removed 10 whole-time fire engines. On top of that, 150 retained appliances are regularly unavailable due to significant recruitment and retention issues, the union said.
The fire service announced it will need to save a minimum of £14 million next year, which could result in the loss of a further 339 firefighters and 18 fire engines, with more to come.
The Courier revealed earlier this year that there would be a “temporary” withdrawal of fire engines from Fife due to the “challenging” financial situation.
Methil and Glenrothes will be left with one engine each while Dunfermline will go from three to two.
And the high reach vehicle will be removed from Kirkcaldy.
John McKenzie, Scottish secretary of the FBU, said: “We cannot go on like this, our members and the public have had enough.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said budgets increased by £14.4m compared with 2022-23.
“Whilst the allocation of resources, along with the recruitment and retention of firefighters, is an operational matter for SFRS, we are maintaining front-line services, with a higher number of firefighters in Scotland than other parts of the UK,” the government said.
Group Commander Iain Brocklebank, of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, said: “On Monday evening through to Tuesday our crews worked tirelessly to bring a dwelling fire in Lochgelly to a safe conclusion and I thank them for their efforts.
“This was a complex and protracted incident and we implemented strategic cover movements as standard.
“As a national service we have the capacity to place our network of resources and staff to where they may be required. We always attend every emergency.”
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