Upgrade will enhance firefighters’ training

Upgrades aimed at improving training for firefighters in the north-east should be completed by the end of May.

Around £350,000 is being spent modernising the Grampian Fire and Rescue Service training site, near Portlethen, which is already regarded as one of the best in the country.

The service is one of only two in Scotland which trains with fires involving solid materials rather than gas.

Station manager at the Portlethen training and development centre John Morgan said: “Effectively, we have been doing that for 12 years and now we need to improve the facilities to ensure the safety and competence of the centre is maintained for the firefighters.

“What it will consist of is a three-storey training structure which will allow us to train in fire behaviours including flashover and backdraft scenarios and to allow them to train for search and rescue in heat and smoke.

“We are one of the very few fortunate services in Scotland who have the ability to train in the most realistic conditions possible.

“We can fight fires more effectively because we are more used to controlling fires with less water. People don’t realise if you add too much water steam can cause problems with visibility. We fight fires in a controlled manner.

“The facility we have just now we’ve been using for 12 years. It’s approaching the end of its life. The new one will enhance our capabilities and give far better flexibility for training.”

Other fire services across the country have travelled to Aberdeenshire in the past to use the current facility for one-off training days.

“Most services are quite jealous of our facilities here. They use gas but that’s not realistic conditions – it’s a very false situation,” Mr Morgan said.

North-east MSP Alex Johnstone added: “It’s a vital provision for the fire service in the north-east and I'm glad to hear they are retaining it as so many brigades are now considering cuts. It’s fantastic our local brigade has the ability to train in as specialised a way as possible.”