| Chief Fire Officer Stephen Hunter has proposed ending 24-hour cover at Balmossie Fire Station in Barnhill.
Downgrading the fire station would allow the fire service to provide a third pump in Perth and a new appliance in Forfar.
Cover for Broughty Ferry, Monifieth, Barnhill and other areas around the east of Dundee would be provided by retained firefighters and the Kingsway East fire station.
However, the Fire Brigades Union has said the plans will endanger lives and launched its campaign opposing them at the Queen’s Hotel in Dundee this morning.
“These are retrograde steps,” said Tayside Fire Brigades Union regional secretary Jim Malone.
“At present, Monifieth, Carnoustie and all these areas on the eastern fringe of Dundee have an immediate response that will be lost during the hours of darkness.
“If you look at the statistics, 100% of the fire deaths in Angus have been at night.”
The FBU hopes that councillors on the Tayside Fire Joint Board will listen to their arguments and reject Chief Fire Officer Hunter’s plans — although Broughty Ferry councillors Ken Guild and Rod Wallace have already given cautious backing to the proposals.
“We want to highlight the issue to the fire board,” said Mr Malone.
“We are hoping to influence the elected members and make sure they are aware there is another side to the story — they don’t just have to believe Mr Hunter.
“These cuts will definitely have a detrimental effect on the public,” he added.
Broughty Ferry residents said today they were unhappy at the proposed changes.
One said, “Many folk are uneasy at the proposal to reduce fire cover in the area by a half.
“It seems as though residents are being forced to ‘suck it and see’ with the new set-up.
“Problems will only come to light when an emergency situation occurs during the night and fire cover is compromised.
“Balmossie may not be the busiest of fire stations in the city, but it does give residents confidence that help is at hand if the worst should happen.
“It is difficult to see how reducing fire cover in any area can ever be a good thing.”
On Wednesday, Tayside’s chief fire officer Alasdair Hay will discuss the proposed changes at a meeting of Monifieth Residents’ Association.
The meeting, in the Burgh Chamber above the library, will start at 7pm. |
