Catering service is falling to pieces for firefighters

FIREFIGHTERS will be forced to take packed lunches to eat during their shifts if new money- saving plans to get rid of station cooks go ahead.

Free home-safety visits for all residents in Lothian and Borders could also be under threat in the latest budget cuts being considered by fire chiefs, who have to find 1.7 million of savings next year.

A recruitment freeze is also being considered, following in the footsteps of other services and police forces across the country.

Fire chiefs are also looking at putting a stop to pre-arranged overtime and not filling vacancies - potentially including front line firefighters - which arise.

A spokeswoman said the proposals were a result of the "fiscal challenges" facing fire bosses.

The Evening News revealed last month that every fire service employee in the Lothians was being asked to consider voluntary redundancy or early retirement as part of a major cost-cutting drive.

The new cost-cutting proposals will be put before the fire board on Friday.

Brian Banks, chair of the Lothian and Borders Fire Brigades Union, said it would be difficult to comment on the specific proposals without knowing the outcome of the Scottish Government's budget announcement next week.

He added: "They are looking at some of these cuts and keeping the union involved in the process.

"We need to get direction from the Scottish Government then we can start to negotiate."

The proposals could see an end to the catering service provided in all of Edinburgh's full-time stations, leaving firefighters working shifts with the responsibility for making their own meals.

The fire service currently employs 13 cooks and one catering assistant.

The proposals also look at prioritising home-safety visits for the most vulnerable and at-risk groups.

The visits are currently open to all residents and more than 380,000 home-safety visits have been carried out in Lothian and Borders since 2004.

A service spokeswoman said: "The board papers provide a progress report of the scale of efficiencies we may have to consider as a result of the fiscal challenges facing us. At present this is only illustrative.

"It will not be until February 2011 that formal proposals will be made to the board, by which time the implications of the Scottish Government's budget plans will be fully understood.

"We will continue to work closely with the representative bodies and engage with staff about the implications of these budget constraints."

Councillor Mike Bridgman, convener of Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Board, added; "We are trying to be ahead of the game by looking at ways that efficiencies can be made should the need arise.

"I trust our managers to bring any efficiencies they can think of to the board."