New, smaller tenders proposed for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) will give extra flexibility to Highland fire fighters, councillors heard yesterday.
Highland councillors welcomed news that the smaller vehicles could be driven with a normal vehicle licence, and crewed by three fire fighters instead of the present requirement for four.
Some north villages had difficulty recruiting four retained fire fighters, so crews of three would be more effective, according to Thurso and North-west Caithness councillor Matthew Reiss.
He said: “The new vehicles will travel faster on single track roads, they will be able to attend calls where four fire fighters are not needed, and will be even more effective with some of the new equipment they’ve got at tackling house fires.
“New full-time jobs are being created and located in the local areas and that seems to me to indicate that these new national, very large organisations like Police Scotland, are finally beginning to understand, and do something for which I give them immense credit, about our informal mantra for this administration, that one size really doesn’t fit all.”
SFRS is currently consulting on a range of proposals that will change the way the service operates in communities across Highland, changing the operating model and creating new roles for fire fighters
Highland Council has agreed a response to the consultation which outlines support for the proposals, particularly in relation to the positive change that this will have in rural communities.
The change in vehicles will enable greater flexibility and availability from Retained Duty Service Crews and the new first responder roles will enable fire fighters to respond to falls and out of hospital cardiac arrests where there is no immediate ambulance provision available.