Have a say on plans for Scotland's fire service

MORAY residents have just a few days left to have a say on the national fire and rescue service's plans for the future.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) wants to hear views on proposals which outline how the service plans to respond to and prevent emergencies and harm.

The three-year plan includes enhancing partnership working, looking at the current operational footprint and equipping firefighters to respond to new and emerging risks such as severe weather.

Further proposals look to supporting leadership and diversity within the SFRS workforce – and delivering a first class and sustainable, national service.

Consultation on the draft strategic plan for 2019-2022 runs until this Thursday and SFRS chief officer Martin Blunden reiterated calls for local people to have a say.

He said: "We continue to lead the way in Scotland’s public sector by proposing to do so much more for our communities – it is absolutely vital that those same communities have their say on how we propose to do that.

"These plans are the culmination of a huge amount of thought and effort into how we can continue to provide a world class, sustainable national service while meeting the new risks flowing from population and climate change.

"This includes a renewed focus on prevention. We have already seen the number of house fires massively reduced in recent years – and now we are looking at what else we can do, working with our partners, to assist people and keep them safe."

Feedback will be reviewed to inform the final Strategic Plan, which will be published in October after it has been approved by the Minister for Community Safety and laid before Parliament.

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