Opposition politicians are calling for the Scottish Government to develop an emergency plan for the country’s fire service in the face of looming cuts to 10 stations across Scotland.
Scottish Labour made the calls after the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) said it will be forced to make £11 million worth of savings following a “decreasing real terms budget allocation”.
There are also plans to remove the 24-hour permanently crewed rescue boat on the River Clyde while second or third appliances are being withdrawn from 10 stations across Scotland from next month.
READ MORE: Fire fighters to hold demonstration at River Clyde against cuts
Scottish Labour said the Scottish Government must reverse the latest cuts and invest in the service, with the party claiming nearly 1100 firefighter jobs have been lost over the last 10 years.
A government spokesperson said the fire services "difficult financial circumstances" have been caused by UK government austerity.
The FBU has warned the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service is facing a "deep and lost lasting crisis" if the cuts are not reversed.
Katy Clark, the party’s spokesperson for Community Safety, said: “A decade of cuts has hollowed out our fire service, with response times worsening, stations in disrepair and hundreds of jobs lost.
“The combination of withdrawn appliances, understaffing and a dilapidated estate means firefighters, who put their lives on the line and are already exposed to dangerous fire contaminants in their job, are being put seriously at risk."
Fire fighters, union representatives and supporters will gather again on Thursday to protest the cuts.
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Scottish Labour said its own research found nearly half of all stations in the country are assessed as being in “bad” or “poor” condition.
Ms Clark added: "Ultimately, that also puts our communities at risk, with response time per incident increasing by 14 per cent in the past ten years.
“Scottish Labour’s message is that enough is enough.
“These latest cuts should be revoked and the Scottish Government must come forward with an emergency plan to save our fire service.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service is a vital service which is why, despite difficult financial circumstances due to UK Government austerity, we are providing it with more than £368m this year, an increase of £14.4m on 2023/23.
“We are also maintaining front-line services, with a higher number of firefighters in Scotland than other parts of the UK and we are pleased firefighters have also recently accepted an improved pay offer.”
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