HUNDREDS of firefighters have descended on the Scottish Parliament in a bid to end a "decade of devastating cuts".

Between 700 and 900 from across the nation converged on Edinburgh in what union leaders said was a "powerful message" that the cuts should end.

Fire Brigades Union Scotland has warned that there is an increased 'threat to life' through the cuts which has meant that the number of uniformed Scots firefighter staff is being slashed by nearly 1500 in a decade.

The number of full-time equivalent uniformed staff have already been cut by 1,119 from 7,162 in 2012/13 to 6043 now.

READ MORE: 'Risk to life' warning over a decade of Scots firefighter staff cuts

And Scottish Fire and Rescue Service chiefs have warned of further cuts to firefighters amid a cash crisis this year which union leaders say will see a 20% cut in numbers in a decade.

Colin Brown, FBU Scotland executive council member said: "Everything we have been saying is absolutely the voice of the firefighters. That has been demonstrated today.

"They have come across the whole of Scotland to have their voices heard today and say to politicians that they should wake up to this."

The Herald:

The union is currently consulting with its members ahead of a ballot on industrial action over the cuts. If approved it could lead to the first firefighters' strike in Scotland in two decades.

The union said the protest will pile pressure on the government to reverse its five year, flat cash budget allocation that if left unchanged, would result in further widespread job losses and service cuts that will endanger the lives of firefighters and the communities they serve.

The FBU's report Firestorm assessed the challenges faced by the service to coincide with the action.

It identified serious concerns with the situation in the fire service, with firefighters raising issues around response times, poor training and poor equipment.

A projected, five-year, flat cash budget, in place until 2027, has already removed 10 whole-time fire engines and 150 retained appliances are regularly unavailable due to significant recruitment and retention issues, the union said.

The SFRS announced that it will need to save a minimum of £14 million next year which could result in the loss of a further 339 firefighters and 18 fire engines, with more to come.

The Herald:

Scotland has lost 1,200 frontline firefighters since 2012, the union has previously claimed.

Gus Sproul, chairman of FBU Scotland said: "We have been making our case repeatedly to Scottish Government ministers, but even with the Chief Fire Officer admitting how devastating this budget will be, we are still being ignored.

"This show of strength by our members and the explosive Firestorm report means we cannot be ignored any longer.’

"If the Scottish Government continues to ignore the multiple crises facing the service then our members will be left with no option but to consider all options to force political leaders to wake up to the disaster that is befalling what should be a well trained, well equipped and well resourced public service.

Meanwhile Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar told the First Minister that cuts were putting lives at risk saying the fire service was suffering from a "decade of neglect".

He quizzed Humza Yousaf in the Scottish Parliament about funding cuts to the fire service after two major fires in the past week - one in Lochgelly and one in East Kilbride.

"First Minister, why can't you see cuts are putting lives at risk?" he said.

Humza Yousaf said that despite the UK government's policy of austerity, the Scottish government still increased funding to the fire service.

Mr Yousaf also pointed out there are more firefighters per head in Scotland compared to England and Wales.

The Scottish Government has previously said that as of March 31, 2022, there were 11.3 firefighters per 10,000 population in Scotland, compared to 6.1 In England and 8.4 in Wales. 

And he said that over the last 10 years the number of recorded fires has dropped by 14% in Scotland.

But Mr Sarwar said the FM was  “burying his head in the sand” and says he is not listening to the concerns from frontline firefighters.

But Mr Yousaf said there are reforms being made to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.

"I trust the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to make those changes and do so in a way that keeps people safe," he says.

"I'm not sure why Anas Sarwar doesn't."

He added: "We continue to invest in our fire service and I want to thank and pay tribute to the FBU and to our firefighters on the ground," he says.

"And I'll continue to give them a promise that so long as we are in government we'll continue to insure that they get the investment they need to keep our public safe."

SFRS chief officer Ross Haggart said: “The safety of our communities and firefighters will always be of paramount importance to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.

“We  remain committed to working in partnership with the FBU...

He added: “In terms of the future of the service, we have been clear that we must modernise to ensure we are best placed to meet the changing risk and demand we face across Scotland, while also addressing our ongoing financial challenges.

“This is undoubtedly a challenging time for the public sector in Scotland and we are not immune to this – we’ve been clear that difficult decisions will have to made without investment.

“However any permanent changes now or in the future will only be made following full engagement and consultation with all our stakeholders, including the FBU.”

A Scottish Government spokesman said “Firefighters play a vital role in protecting our communities and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) has continued to deliver the high standard of services required to keep Scotland safe. That is why, despite difficult financial circumstances due to UK Government austerity, we are providing SFRS with more than £368 million this year, an increase of £14.4 million on 2022-23.

“Whilst the allocation of resources, along with the recruitment and retention of firefighters, is an operational matter for SFRS, we are maintaining front-line services, with a higher number of firefighters in Scotland than other parts of the UK.

“Ministers will continue engaging with the FBU to discuss their concerns.”