Perth firefighters 'shocked' at decline in service cover due to 'savage' SFRS cuts

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Perth firefighters are "shocked" at how much fire cover has declined in the city following "savage" cuts to their service.One local trade union representative described the cuts as potentially "catastrophic".His comments came after Fire Brigades Union (FBU) executive committee (Scotland) member Colin Brown warned the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service could become the Scottish Fire and "Recovery" Service.On September 4, Perth Fire Station went from having three water pumps to two.

Perth's third appliance now operates purely as a dedicated aerial rescue vehicle. There was also a cut to the workforce. The cuts in Perth are part of the first phase of around £36 million of savings being made over the next four years by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS).But the cost of these cuts is starting to be felt as every second counts in a rescue situation.Speaking after addressing the Scottish Government's Justice Committee Pre-Budget Scrutiny Committee this month Colin Brown - based in Perth - said: "We need the members of the Justice Committee to truly understand that every second in a fire situation has the potential to exponentially grow that fire.

We're talking about increases of minutes to response times."That's the fire and rescue service potentially becoming a fire and 'recovery' service."FBU Perth branch secretary David Evans has now echoed those views and warned the delays in response times - due to cuts - could be "catastrophic".The Perth firefighter said: "Just weeks after the first round of savage cuts to the fire service across Scotland came into effect, Perth firefighters have been shocked at how much fire cover for the city has declined.