Fife Fire Service Not Meeting Finglassie Call-Out Targets

Glenrothes Scottish Socialist Party Press Release 27/03/02
The Scottish Socialist Party in Glenrothes today revealed that Fife Fire & Rescue Service have been failing to meet target times for arriving at call-outs to the Finglassie area of Glenrothes at times of the day when traffic is at its height. They were quick to stress that there is no immediate danger to the public as the call-out times are only just outside the targets, but that action is needed now to prevent tragedy as the amount of traffic on our roads rises.

The SSP claim that the decommissioning of Thornton Fire Station was conditional upon a new fire station being built in Stenton (which neighbours Finglassie). The station became Fife Fire Brigade headquarters, which meant that the nearest fire station to Stenton was in Cadham in the North of Glenrothes. The decision was actioned before work began on Finglassie in the mid-1980s. Since that time Glenrothes has expanded significantly southward to the extent that it almost meets the village of Thornton.

It is understood by the SSP that the problem has presented itself consistently to fire fighters in recent times and that this prompted a concerned fire fighter to contact the SSP.

Jim Balfour, the party’s candidate in the forthcoming Thornton, Stenton and Finglassie South by-election demanded that Fife Council take immediate steps to rectify the situation which he views as potentially harmful to the well earned reputations of Fife’s fire fighters.

"The problem is not with the men and women of the Fire Brigade. They provide a first class service. This is about Fife Council not meeting conditions that were set years ago. A fire station should be built near this area so that the conditions for decommissioning Thornton Fire Station are met. The safety of the people of Glenrothes could be at stake in the next few years.

"It is not my intention to cause alarm by making this information public. This situation seems likely only to become worse as traffic increases. I for one would be alarmed if work is not initiated soon to rectify this state of affairs."

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