Scotland’s firefighters and their supporters, including MSPs, demonstrated outside the Scottish Parliament on Thursday 26th of October following the publication of a report on the state of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service – Firestorm

The report says that a combination of cuts, a lack of recruitment, the crisis in the ‘On Call’ service, declining training standards and the climate emergency have created the perfect conditions for a devastating ‘Firestorm’. 

Since its inception just over a decade ago the SFRS has cut over 1200 jobs with fire service bosses predicting another 780 could go in the near future due to a 5 year, flat cash budget settlement from the Scottish Government. 

This year alone has seen 10  fire appliances plus a number of additional high reach vehicles and the permanently crewed river rescue boat on the Clyde withdrawn from stations leaving communities with reduced emergency  cover. 

Commenting on the report John McKenzie, Scottish Secretary of the Fire Brigades Union said:

“This state of the nation report into the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service paints a damning picture of underinvestment, declining standards and job losses, all which increases the risk to firefighters and public we serve. We cannot go on like this, our members and the public have had enough.

“If the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service is to meet the challenges of our times we need immediate and radical change and this report sets out what that should look like. “

“This report is full of ideas that would help reverse the catastrophic decline in a once proud service. There are over 50 recommendations that have come from those who know the service best, the firefighters who work on the frontline in fire stations and control rooms across the country.

“They want to be the best that they can be, they want trained to highest possible standards, to work in a service that has the required resources to respond quickly to emergency situations, and is equipped to meet the challenges of our times, paid appropriately for the stressful work they do and to work in a welcoming, supportive organisation. 

“Over the last decade we have been failed by political leaders who have tried to ignore this crisis. They cannot ignore us now.  It is now up to the Scottish Government, the SFRS management and all political parties to respond positively to this report, reverse the cuts and help build a Fire and Rescue Service that aspires to be world leading.”

Leader of the Labour party in Scotland, Anas Sarwar, responded to the report. He said 

“Fire service cuts are putting lives at risk but the First Minister is burying his head in the sand. The Fire Service budget is set by this Government and it has fallen by 22% in real terms over the past decade, putting 780 firefighter posts are at risk.

“This would have an impact on response times and when fighting a fire, every second counts. In the past ten years hundreds of fire fighters have been lost. Now, a dozen appliances are being removed and the First Minister is ignoring warnings that his Government is putting lives at risk. 

“When the single fire service was created the SNP said that it would, and I quote, not result in ‘cutting front line services’. It’s clear now that was either SNP spin or SNP incompetence. The First Minister must listen to firefighters on the ground about how to keep people safe.”

Maggie Chapman, Scottish Green MSP for North East Scotland was also at the FBU demonstration and spoke at the rally.

Commenting on her Facebook page she said:

“I was proud to address and stand alongside our firefighters at the Fire Brigades Union Scotland rally outside the Scottish Parliament this morning. Our fire service must have the facilities, equipment, training, and staff it needs to continue to save lives. Solidarity!”

The SFRS is a significant employer, it contributes to the Scottish economy and employs around 6700 uniformed staff. The table below provides statistical data on the numbers employed in different SFRS uniformed roles and tracks changes in numbers over the period from 2012/13. For all uniformed staff this represents a combined total of 1215 jobs lost since 2012/13 – a 15.42% reduction. The most recent Fire Safety and Organisational Statistics identified 40 Wholetime operational firefighter jobs were lost in 2022/23. – Firestorm

The report offers up practical recommendations based on the extensive experience of serving firefighters.

Members of the Fire Brigades Union are proud of the work they do. They help keep our communities, property and natural environment safe. They respond to emergency situations and save people’s lives. From gathering the views and aspirations of the firefighters, it is clear that:
They want the SFRS to be the best it can be
They want a Service that has the required resources, is able to respond quickly to developing situations, and is equipped to meet the challenges of our times
They want a Service that commands the loyalty and respect of its staff and returns it in equal measure
They want to be trained to the highest possible standard. They want to be paid appropriately for the role they do. They want to work in a positive, welcoming culture that promotes team working and cohesion
They want to feel safe at work and maintain good health and wellbeing during, and after, their employment in the Service
They believe that this vision is shared by the communities they serve.
It is now up to the Scottish Government and the leadership of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to respond to this report. – Firestorm