Decision yet to be made on fire services in Sterling
The Central Scotland Fire and Rescue Service are expected to make their decision on possible job cuts or station closures in November. Until then, the position will not be made clear.
The fire service had previously warned that it is having to face up to cuts of 12-25 percent during the next four years and so savings will have to be made in some areas to make up for the loss of £4 million.
Speculation has been rife that this will take the form of job losses and the closure of certain stations as seen in other areas of Britain recently. However, Chief Fire Officer Kenny Taylor would not confirm any definitive service changes.
He said:
“There are number of things being looked at but no firm commitment to any of them. It might mean a revised duty system, it might mean we have to think about changing a full time station to part time or changing the part time status of others. It’s all on our radar.
“At the end of it there could be a detailed reshaping of the service, but we do not want compulsory job losses.”
Reviews have taken place as to the potential for the sharing of emergency services premises, but the final decision will not be made for another two months.
Blaze breaks out in Waltham Cross factory
Firefighters from across the County of Essex were called to a huge fire in a Waltham Cross factory on Wednesday morning.
The East of England fire crews responded to the factory blaze and Waltham Abbey and Loughton sent fire engines to the scene in Bryanstone Road, Waltham Cross.
More than eight appliances arrived at the industrial estate at about 0720 GMT to combat the fire, which was started by 2,000 litres of diesel catching alight, just across the border from Waltham Abbey.
The East of England Ambulance Service also sent paramedics to the incident within the hour.
A spokesman for the ambulance service, Gary Sanderson, who was present at the factory, said:
“Thankfully there were no casualties reported. We did treat a boy aged six for minor breathing problems earlier this morning, but he did not require to go to hospital.”
The firefighters tackled the blaze by using aerial ladder platforms as well as eight hoses.
The fire is not being treated as suspicious although an investigation will be underway when the area is safely secured.
If you are the owner of a factory you will know how easy it is for fires like this to start. This could result in the loss of equipment and could even pose a risk to the lives of your staff, so it is important to consider the need for appropriate fire safety training.
Tyre fire in Glasgow causes home evacuations
A number of properties located near to Ibrox Stadium in Govan had to be evacuated following a large blaze at a vehicle repair garage on Monday morning.
Smoke bellowing from the fire could be seen for many miles as the fire crews battled to bring the situation under control.
It took seven fire appliances and over 20 firefighters to tackle the fire.
A Strathclyde Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said:
“We received a call just before 8am today to a lock-up fire. There are tyres at the site as well.”
A number of streets were closed off around Ibrox Terrace as residents were evacuated from their homes. People were led to a temporary shelter at Ibrox Library and Learning Centre.
A spokeswoman for the police said:
“Police received a report of a fire at a number of lock-ups in Fairley Street near to the junction of Carmichael Street.
“Smoke from the fire is currently blowing in a south-westerly direction and as a precaution, local residents are being advised to stay indoors and keep their windows closed.”
There were no injuries reported over the incident although an investigation is now underway into the cause of the blaze and if it was started deliberately.
Teenager charged over Edinburgh fire chaos
It has been reported that a 15-year-old boy has been accused of trying to steal a fire appliance as crews battled to control a suspicious fire at a location in Edinburgh.
As firefighters attempted to put out the blaze at West Pilton Children’s Centre on Ferry Road at 1pm last Sunday, a gang of youngsters started to cause trouble which hampered their efforts.
A spokeswoman for Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service said:
“The actions of these youngsters were totally unacceptable and could have had much more serious consequences.
“Crews had to put up with continued verbal abuse and were also pelted with missiles as they tried to get the fire under control.
“Fighting the fire, which had been deemed a chemical incident because of asbestos in the roof, was made much harder because of the unwanted attention and anti-social behaviour of a hard core of young people.”
The Lothian and Borders Police have now launched an investigation into the incident and as well as charging a 15-year-old with attempting to steal a fire engine, are now looking to find the other culprits of the attack on the fire crews.
The fire was eventually extinguished at about 5pm on Sunday evening.
Major fire starts at Glasgow tyre storage centre
A serious fire has broken out at a tyre storage facility in Glasgow, causing major travel disruption in the local area.
Fire crews believe that the fire started in a vehicle repair workshop on the Ibrox site yesterday morning, in a lock-up dealing in used tyres and scrap materials. Seven fire appliances were summoned to the scene, and 20 firefighters battled the blaze.
Despite their efforts, the severity of the fire meant that local residents were evacuated from their homes and nearby roads closed due to the thick clouds of smoke billowing from the site. It has also been reported that Ibrox underground subway station was temporarily closed as a result of the fire.
In addition to the smoke and flames, local residents have also reported hearing the sound of gas canisters exploding from within the site.
It is not yet known whether the storage centre was fitted with fire alarms or other fire prevention measures, but the fire service arrived very promptly on the scene. A representative from Strathclyde Fire & Rescue Service has briefly confirmed what happened, saying:
“We received a call just before 0800 BST to a lock-up fire. There are tyres at the site as well.”