Watchdog sounds alarm over Fife fire service axe

A PUBLIC spending watchdog has warned further cuts to a regional fire service could put the local community at risk.

The Accounts Commission said Fife Fire and Rescue Service (FFRS) had already made “significant savings” but now faced the need to make further reductions to its budget.

But it warned: “It is difficult to see how further savings can be achieved without the potential for some increase in community risks.”

The warning came in a new report the Commission published on the brigade.

The service is funded by Fife Council and the report pointed out that, as a result, it “needs to compete directly with other services within Fife Council for financial resources”.

The watchdog said, so far, FFRS had managed to maintain standards at the same time as reducing the size of its workforce. However, it added the service “now faces significant challenges with the need to make further savings of 4-4.5 per cent in each of the following three years”.

FFRS had considered making redundancies but avoided this by transferring 15 firefighters to neighbouring services. But the report said that, unlike other fire brigades in Scotland, Fife “often has to reduce crewing levels below its standard levels”.

The report warned: “The difficulties of balancing the need for financial savings with community safety look to be even more challenging over the next year.”

Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, said: “Firefighters remain gravely concerned that Fife Fire and Rescue Service will be unable to function at the same level unless moves are made to protect it.”

Neil McFarlane, chief fire officer, said: “We will continue to do all we can to ensure that the people within our communities receive a high quality service.”