Tag: Scottish Fire and Rescue Service

Scottish Fire and Rescue Service launches Gaelic Language Plan consultation

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) has opened a consultation on its Draft Gaelic Language Plan 2022 – 2025 to widen access and promote the Gaelic language across the organisation.

The consultation seeks the views of key stakeholders, communities and staff on the second draft of the Service’s Gaelic Language Plan which has been prepared in line with the Framework of the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005.

Liz Barnes, Director of People and Organisational Development is inviting people to take part and help influence the way the SFRS integrates Gaelic into its operations and working practices.

She said “Gaelic belongs to the whole of Scotland and we would like to develop the understanding and use of the language, its history and heritage.

“You can help shape the future of Gaelic in the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.

“It’s easy to take part. Respondents are invited to answer a short survey and give their views on the Plan. Responses to the consultation will be used to shape our approach and inform the final Plan.”

The Service has a legal responsibility to have a plan and it wants to build on its existing plan to support the aim of increasing the use of the language by more people, in a wider range of situations.

The consultation will run for six weeks from 17 January to 27 February 2022 and can be accessed here:

https://firescotland.citizenspace.com/equality-and-diversity/draft-gaelic-language-plan-2022-2025/


Co-chomhairle air Plana Gàidhlig Seirbheis Smàlaidh agus Teasairginn na h-Alba

Tha Seirbheis Smàlaidh agus Teasairginn na h-Alba air co-chomhairle a thòiseachadh air an dreachd Phlana Ghàidhlig aice airson 2025 gus cur ri ruigsinneachd agus gus Gàidhlig a bhrosnachadh air feadh na buidhne.

Tha a’ cho-chomhairle a’ sireadh bheachdan bho phrìomh luchd-ùidh, coimhearsnachdan agus luchd-obrach air an dàrna dreachd den phlana, a chaidh ullachadh a rèir Frèam Achd na Gàidhlig (Alba) 2005.

Tha Liz Barnes, Ceannard Daoine agus Leasachadh na Buidhne air cuireadh a thoirt do dhaoine pàirt a ghabhail ann agus gus buaidh a thoirt air an dòigh sam bith Seirbheis Smàlaidh is Teasairginn na h-Alba a’ filleadh Gàidhlig a-steach do na gnìomhan agus dòighean-obrach aice

Thuirt i “Buinidh a’ Ghàidhlig ri Alba air fad agus tha sinn airson cur ri tuigse agus cleachdadh na Gàidhlig, agus ri tuigse air a h-eachdraidh is dualchas.

“Is urrainn dhut buaidh a thoirt air an àite a bhios aig Gàidhlig ann an Seirbheis Smàlaidh agus Teasairginn na h-Alba san àm ri teachd.

“Tha e furasta pàirt a ghabhail ann. Thathar ag iarraidh air luchd-freagairt suirbhidh goirid a fhreagairt agus na beachdan aca a thoirt seachad air a’ phlana. Thèid freagairtean dhan cho-chomhairle a chleachdadh gus cumadh a thoirt air an dòigh-obrach againn agus gus am plana mu dheireadh fhiosrachadh.”

Tha uallach laghail air an t-Seirbheis plana a bhith aice agus tha i airson togail air a’ phlana làithreach aice gus taic a chumail ri phrìomh amas Plana Nàiseanta na Gàidhlig gum bi an cànan ga chleachdadh le barrachd dhaoine, ann an raon nas fharsainge de shuidheachaidhean.

Ruithidh a’ cho-chomhairle fad sia seachdainean bho 17mh Faoilleach gu 27th Gearran 2022. Gheibhear an suirbhidh an seo. 

https://www.firescotland.gov.uk/consultations/open-consultations/gaelic-language-plan-2022-2025/

Public consultation backs calls to reduce firefighters’ attendance at false alarms

Crews of up to nine were routinely being mobilised in two fire appliances to an average 28,479 false alarms each year – equating to around 57,000 unnecessary blue light journeys.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service recently held a 12-week public consultation which provided communities and partners with three options to safely reduce these numbers.

The consultation identified that most stakeholders supported Option A which means that the SFRS will establish if Automatic Fire Alarms (AFAs) in workplaces have been triggered by an actual fire before sending any appliances.

This change, which will reduce attendance rates by up to 57 per cent, will come into effect in April 2023 and will bring Scotland into line with most other UK Fire and Rescue Services.

Hospitals, residential care homes and sleeping risk premises will remain exempt and appliances will continue to be mobilised automatically to any fire alarm activations within these facilities.

It is anticipated that 37,524 hours could now be released each year for firefighters to enhance their training – and carry out community safety work, including supporting the most vulnerable to stay safe from fires within the home.

SFRS Assistant Chief Officer Stuart Stevens said: “We are grateful to the public and our partners for sharing their views on our proposals. 

“False alarms account for almost one third of fire and rescue activity across Scotland. They place a drain on front line services, increase risk to road users and cause interruption to the business sector and communities.

“The advantages of call challenging workplaces to reduce these callouts are clear,” said ACO Stevens.

“Making this change means we can carry out more training, community safety and fire prevention activity, as well as improving road safety and reducing our carbon impact.

“These unnecessary blue light journeys bring risks to our crews, other road users and pedestrians as well as impacting the environment with an estimated 575 tonnes of carbon emissions produced – the equivalent of heating 230 homes a year.

“Businesses will also experience less disruption as they no longer need to wait for us to attend to give the all clear after a false alarm.

“The legal responsibility for dealing with an AFA alert lies with the duty holder of a property and most UK fire and rescue services now seek confirmation of a fire before attending. Now the SFRS is making this change too.”

The Board paper, full consultation report and associated documents can be accessed online at:

https://www.firescotland.gov.uk/media/2383437/20211216_bsfrs_board_all_papers.pdf

Scottish Fire and Rescue Service: Nine steps to a safer home

A campaign encouraging householders in Scotland to minimise the risk of a fire has been launched by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.

Latest figures show firefighters attended more than 450 accidental house fires in just one month last winter. Sadly, during the same period, accidental house fires claimed the lives of seven people and resulted in 58 casualties.

The incidents happened between 7 December, 2020 and 11 January, 2021.

Deputy Assistant Chief Officer Ali Perry is the SFRS’ Head of Prevention and Protection. He said: “Fire is a risk for everyone, but some people are more at risk than others.

“If you know someone who is over 50 and smokes, and who has either mobility issues or uses medical oxygen or lives alone, please arrange a Home Fire Safety Visit on their behalf.

“One death because of a fire in the home is one too many. Reaching out to those who are vulnerable can help save lives in our communities.”

A free online self-assessment on the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s website is available to everyone in Scotland to find out how fire safe their property is.

On completion, participants can download a unique report about their home, which gives advice on how to rectify risks and problems. Since its launch last year, more than 2,000 reports have been downloaded.

There are nine steps to a safer home – as participants are asked to consider their use of smoke detectors, cooking in the kitchen, smoking and candles, electrics and heating, emollient creams, medical oxygen, air pressure mattress, night time routine and fire action plan.

DACO Perry said: “By walking through the nine steps you can massively reduce the risk of a fire in your house.

“Taking a few minutes to do the self-assessment and identify the hazards in your own home can help keep you and those around you safe.

“Colder months ahead this winter mean an increased use of heating and electricity combined with festive lights, trees, decorations, and candles –  all of these can heighten the risk of fire potentially taking hold within the home.

“If you can’t get online, then get in touch with us through your local station who will be more than happy to offer help and guidance.

“We want everyone to remember this winter, and the festive period, for all the right reasons.”

The Winter Safety section of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service website has lots of information on how to heat your home safely during the colder months.

Community Safety Minister Ash Regan said: “Fire prevention is always much better than emergency response when it comes to safety in the home.

“As we reach the coldest and darkest part of the year, I would encourage everyone to follow the easy, but important steps laid out by SFRS that will help prevent fires.

“The free online safety assessment offered by SFRS is an important way to identify the hazards in your own home and please contact them direct if you think you, or any family and friends, might be at higher risk of fire.”

Please ‘Make the Call’ to SFRS to support those who are most at risk of fire. If you know of someone who needs a Home Fire Safety Visit get in touch by calling 0800 0731 999. Or text FIRE to 80800.

During a Home Fire Safety Visit SFRS staff will identify fire hazards and risks in the home, help plan escape routes and provide information about smoke, heat, and carbon monoxide alarms.

Scottish Fire and Rescue Service launch 10-year Vision

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) has launched its new, 10-year vision which deepens its pledge to improve the safety of Scotland’s communities.

In its new vision, the SFRS sets out its commitment to meeting the changing needs of communities, recognising the new and emerging challenges they face, including climate change, an aging population and the increased threat from terrorism.

The vision is underpinned by an undertaking to continue to work together with all public, third-sector and community partners for a safer Scotland and to keep a local focus on responding to the diverse needs of communities across the country.

Martin Blunden, Chief Officer of the SFRS, said: “We are a national service with national standards and practices but we absolutely recognise the need to find local solutions to local issues to effectively respond to community need.

“We want to be regarded as among the best fire and rescue services in the world, focused on meeting the shifting needs of our communities, working together to prevent and reduce the impacts of unintentional harm being at the heart of what we do.

“We believe that we will achieve this because we have a highly-skilled, experienced and talented workforce and we know we can offer more to help save lives and keep Scotland safe.”

Chief Officer Blunden added: “We created our vision in partnership through extensive engagement and consultation with our staff, our partners and the public, and we will continue to work together to achieve it. Working collaboratively – particularly with other emergency services – gives us all the best chance of meeting our ambitions.

“From early 2022, we’ll be setting out how we will achieve our vision through our next three-year strategic plan, and we will again be engaging with all stakeholders on this next step of our journey.”

Long-Term-Vision-DocumentDownload

NINE STEPS TO A SAFER HOME TO AVOID ACCIDENTAL HOUSE FIRES

A campaign encouraging householders in Scotland to minimise the risk of a fire has been launched by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.

Latest figures show firefighters attended more than 450 accidental house fires in around one month last winter.

Sadly, during the same period, accidental house fires claimed the lives of seven people and resulted in 58 casualties.

The incidents happened between 7 December, 2020 and 11 January, 2021.

Deputy Assistant Chief Officer Ali Perry is Head of Prevention and Protection at SFRS. He said: “Fire is a risk for everyone, but some people are more at risk than others.

“If you know someone who is over 50 and smokes, and who has either mobility issues or uses medical oxygen or lives alone, please arrange a Home Fire Safety Visit on their behalf.

“One death because of a fire in the home is one too many. Reaching out to those who are vulnerable can help save lives in our communities.”

A free online self-assessment on the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s website is available to everyone in Scotland to find out how fire safe their property is.

On completion, participants can download a unique report about their home, which gives advice on how to rectify risks and problems. Since its launch last year, more than 2,000 reports have been downloaded.

There are nine steps to a safer home – as participants are asked to consider their use of smoke detectors, cooking in the kitchen, smoking and candles, electrics and heating, emollient creams, medical oxygen, air pressure mattress, night time routine and fire action plan.

DACO Perry said: “By walking through the nine steps you can massively reduce the risk of a fire in your house.

“Taking a few minutes to do the self-assessment and identify the hazards in your own home can help keep you and those around you safe.

“Colder months ahead this winter mean an increased use of heating and electricity combined with festive lights, trees, decorations, and candles –  all of these can heighten the risk of fire potentially taking hold within the home.

“If you can’t get online, then get in touch with us through your local station who will be more than happy to offer help and guidance.

“We want everyone to remember this winter, and the festive period, for all the right reasons.”

The Winter Safety section of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service website has lots of information on how to heat your home safely during the colder months.

Community Safety Minister Ash Regan said: “Fire prevention is always much better than emergency response when it comes to safety in the home. As we reach the coldest and darkest part of the year, I would encourage everyone to follow the easy, but important steps laid out by SFRS that will help prevent fires.

“The free online safety assessment offered by SFRS is an important way to identify the hazards in your own home and please contact them direct if you think you, or any family and friends, might be at higher risk of fire.”

Please ‘Make the Call’ to SFRS to support those who are most at risk of fire. If you know of someone who needs a Home Fire Safety Visit get in touch by calling 0800 0731 999. Or text FIRE to 80800.

During a Home Fire Safety Visit SFRS staff will identify fire hazards and risks in the home, help plan escape routes and provide information about smoke, heat, and carbon monoxide alarms.

Festive Community Event at NEA

As 2021 draws to a close, big changes are on the horizon for North Edinburgh Arts. As part of the ongoing regeneration programme around MacMillan Square, development work at North Edinburgh Arts should begin in the next few weeks.

One of the last events before the planned makeover will be the Festive Community Event on Monday 13 December, kindly funded by Police Scotland.

North Edinburgh Arts will be host to many local community stalls on the day, so it’ll be a great opportunity to learn more about what’s going on in the local area, get together with other local residents and go away with a free goodie bag including some wonderful books to read this winter!

Whether you’re a regular user or occasional visitor to the North Edinburgh Arts space, you’re invited to say goodbye to the North Edinburgh Arts building. You can drop-in any time between 10am and 3pm when you can find out more about our temporary relocation while having a wander, a chat, a festive mince pie and hot drink. 

Stalls will include presentations and resources from: Edinburgh Police DivisionScottish Fire and Rescue ServiceCraigroyston Community High SchoolThe Reading AgencyA Stitch in TimeMuirhouse Housing Association, Mobile Library, The Reading Agency, North Edinburgh Community Shed and Arts for Grown-ups.

Everyone’s welcome.

To learn more about North Edinburgh Arts, visit:https://northedinburgharts.co.uk/

Storm Arwen sees calls to SFRS almost triple

Over the twenty-four-hour period from 7am on Friday, November 26, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service received more than 900 emergency calls – almost three times the normal number – with more than 500 of these being due to the impact of the severe weather associated with Storm Arwen affecting many areas of the country.

During this same period of time, firefighters were mobilised to more than 500 incidents, many of which were related to high winds, with areas in the North and East of Scotland being worst affected.

Between 3pm and midnight on Friday, November 26 the Service’s Operations Control rooms in Dundee and Edinburgh received more than 500 weather related emergency calls, which included calls for assistance to make damaged buildings safe and road traffic collisions. 

The impact of the weather was also felt by the Service, with damage to the roof of Altens Community Fire Station in Aberdeen.

On duty firefighters and appliances were deployed to neighbouring stations to ensure fire cover for the area was maintained. In addition, a fire appliance from Galashiels in the Borders was struck by falling trees during the storm while attending an incident and the firefighters were removed to safety with no injuries recorded.

John Dickie is an Assistant Chief Officer in the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. He said: “This has been an exceptional weather event and a challenging night where we received a high number of weather related calls.

“We have seen high numbers of emergency calls from the Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Moray, Fife, East Lothian and Scottish Borders areas where many buildings were damaged by the high winds – resulting in a significant localised response.

“Firefighters also attended a number of other incidents including road traffic collisions and fires.

“My thanks must go to our firefighters and Operations Control staff for their outstanding work overnight in very challenging conditions, and to our partners for their continued assistance.”

For safety advice on severe weather visit – https://www.readyscotland.org/are-you-ready/severe-weather/

For the latest forecast where you are:

https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/warnings-and-advice

Police Scotland welcomes a reduction in incidents over Bonfire Night

Local resources and specialist national teams from Police Scotland have again come together to deploy on Bonfire Night, with the organisation recording 20 per cent fewer calls and reported incidents in comparison to last year.

A policing plan under the name Operation Moonbeam was introduced in 2018 in response to significant public disorder and anti-social behaviour the previous year. This had included targeted attacks on the blue light services responding to emergency calls during the Fireworks Night period.

Throughout Thursday, 4 November, and Friday, 5 November, 2021, 649 calls were received by police in relation to fireworks, and a further 105 regarding fires. In 2020 these figures were 798 and 153, respectively.

Operation Moonbeam lead, Assistant Chief Constable Tim Mairs said: “Due to the ongoing impact of COVID-19, again, there were fewer organised events this year.

“It is very encouraging that we saw a reduction in calls during this traditionally high-demand period. I want to thank everyone who heeded our advice to enjoy themselves in a safe and responsible manner.

“However, unfortunately a number of police officers as well as colleagues from the other emergency services were targeted by a minority of people intent on causing disorder. I utterly condemn this behaviour.

“Thankfully, none of those affected sustained serious injuries but no-one should have to face violence in the course of their duties. These kind of incidents put intense additional pressure on the emergency services and impact our officers’ ability to respond to other people in need.

“We will continue to thoroughly investigate these incidents in the coming days so as to identify those involved.”

Assistant Chief Officer Stuart Stevens, Director of Service Delivery for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, said: “Attacks on our firefighters are completely unacceptable.

“This type of behaviour not only prevents our crews from bringing any emergency to a safe and swift conclusion, but it can impact on our emergency service colleagues – including the police when they must escort us at the scene.

“This type of behaviour is, of course, carried out by a very small minority and we once again thank our communities for their continuing support and working together with us to stay safe.”

Bonfire Night: Three firefighters injured in eight attacks on crews

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) received more than 1000 calls from the public during an eight hour period

Firefighters across Scotland dealt with more than 370 bonfires on one of their busiest nights of the year yesterday.

Initial figures indicate that crews responded to approximately 374 bonfires across the country between 3.30pm and 11.30pm on Friday, November 5.

Meanwhile, Operations Control handled more than 1020 calls from members of the public.

There were also eight reported attacks on crews, with three injuries reported.

With public events cancelled amid continuing Covid-19 restrictions – and in Glasgow due to the evening coinciding with the COP26 event – the Service had appealed to the public to be aware of the dangers of both fireworks and deliberate fire-setting and to also consider the impact of their actions on communities and emergency services.

Assistant Chief Officer Stuart Stevens is Director of Service Delivery for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. He said: “Bonfire Night is traditionally one of our busiest nights of the year.

“I would like to pay tribute to the professionalism and resilience of our frontline and Operations Control firefighters and our support staff who have shown extreme dedication over this period.

“I must also thank our partners, and indeed communities across Scotland, for their continuing support in sharing and heeding our safety messaging.”

Libby Logan is the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service Area Commander for Operations Control. She said: “This was a busy and challenging evening, but I would like to praise our Operations Control staff who have once again worked tirelessly to ensure we respond to those who need us the most.

“Their dedication has allowed us to meet this challenge and continue to protect communities throughout Bonfire Night.”

Condemning attacks on crews, Assistant Chief Officer Stevens added: “Attacks on our firefighters are completely unacceptable.

“This type of behaviour not only prevents our crews from bringing any emergency to a safe and swift conclusion, but it can impact on our emergency service colleagues – including the police when they must escort us at the scene.

“This type of behaviour is, of course, carried out by a very small minority and we once again thank our communities for their continuing support and working together with us to stay safe.”