A local councillor fears “destructive” cuts at Perth Community Fire Station will put more lives at risk after two fatal fires shook the region this year.
Labour Perth City North ward representative Brian Leishman has also vowed to file a motion at council committee calling for transparency over the decision.
Last month the Scottish Fire Rescue Service (SFRS) announced that Perth station will lose the use of one fire engine for at least a year as part of nationwide cash saving plans.
The headquarters near the city centre currently operates three fire appliances – two fire engines (pumping appliances) and one aerial rescue pump (height vehicle).
However, effective from September, the sole height vehicle, which can also be operated as a pumping appliance with minimum four crew, will be solely used as a height vehicle and crewed by just two.
Stations in Dundee, Methil, Dunfermline, Kirkcaldy and Glenrothes are among the neighbouring sites losing appliances in some form.
The cuts come after two tragic fires rocked the county in the space of six months.
On January 2, a fatal blaze at the New County Hotel on County Place killed three people and a dog.
Siblings Donna Janse Van Rensburg (44) and Sharon McLean (47), both from Aberdeen, and Keith Russell (38) from Edinburgh, died in the incident.
Donna’s dog Joey, a three-year-old King Charles spaniel, was also killed.
The SFRS has been working with local firms to review their fire safety measures in the aftermath.
Then less than two months later on February 28, dad Slawomir Szmeichel (46) was killed in a blast at Shore Recycling centre on Friarton Road.
Another man was taken to Ninewells Hospital in Dundee but was subsequently discharged.
Fire crews spent hours bravely extinguishing the flames before remaining on site for days to check the area was made safe.
The blaze is understood to have been the third at the recycling centre in the last two years.
Following the fire cuts announcement, Cllr Leishman commented: “The proposal to withdraw a fire engine from Perth is incredibly concerning for so many reasons, including the increase in danger to public safety, firefighter safety, and the overall service provision to the people of Perth and Kinross.
“Destructive budget cuts must not be made to the detriment of safety to people and buildings.
“In Perth, we are all too aware of the devastating consequences of fire.
“It was only in January of this year that we saw the tragic incident occur at the New County Hotel.
“I will be bringing a motion to the housing and social wellbeing committee later this month (June 21) to request that the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service must provide a transparent explanation of their reasoning for withdrawing an appliance from Perth and for the people of Perth and Kinross to be fully consulted on this.
“We all rely on the varied service provided by firefighters, not just in tackling fires, but also water rescue, height rescue, in road traffic accidents and home fire safety visits, and much, much more.
“And it is my fear that reducing the amount of appliances we have will inevitably lead to a reduction in the service and make things much more dangerous for firefighters and all our communities.”
The SFRS is having to make savings of £36 million, including £11m in 2023/24, because of the lack of adequate funding and a flat cash SFRS budget settlement for the next four years from the Scottish Government.
While this reduction in appliances is said to be a temporary arrangement for one year, local politicians are concerned these services will not be restored.
Concerns have been expressed by firefighters and local politicians about the loss of this capability, which will result in a greater reliance on retained crews from nearby communities to cover the shortfall.
Gus Sproul, Fire Brigades Union Scotland regional chair, said fewer fire appliances and fewer firefighters mean that communities are “at greater risk”.
He added: “Our members who have recently attended major incidents in Fife and Tayside tell us that if they have to attend similar incidents in the future with one less appliance then lives and property will be put at significantly increased danger.”
Conservative Perth City Centre Councillor, Bailie Chris Ahern, said the funding removal by the Scottish Government is “very short-sighted”, commenting: “The loss of staff is obviously going to have an effect on the ability to respond to fires and accidents on the A9 corridor.
“This is very short-sighted by the Scottish Government in reducing the funding to the SFRS and I hope they are willing to take responsibility for anything that happens as a result of these cuts.
“Instead of constant cuts to services in Scotland, money needs to be invested.”
Conservative Perth City South Councillor, Andy Chan, added: “These seriously concerning cuts have been forced upon the Fire and Rescue Service because of inadequate funding from the Scottish Government and will undoubtedly compromise firefighter and public safety.
“Removing one third of the full-time appliances from the sole fire station in Perth city will significantly reduce the fire cover in the city and the surrounding area and will impact on the ability of firefighters to respond to incidents.
“This, in turn, will increase the pressure on our retained firefighter service in nearby communities, which does a great job but isn’t always available.
“The Scottish Government needs to invest in the Fire and Rescue Service, not make cuts.”
In response, a Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Firefighters play a vital role in protecting our communities and the SFRS has continued to deliver the high standard of services required to keep Scotland safe and we are providing £368.1m – an increase of £14.4m in budget for SFRS this year.
“Operational decisions on the allocation of resources are a matter for the SFRS board and chief officer.
“These changes in appliances are temporary and are prioritised in a manner that minimises risk.
“It is right that SFRS continues to review its operations to ensure it is effective and delivering value for money. Decisions on how SFRS spends its budget is a matter for the SFRS board.”
