FIFTEEN years ago fire cover in the Highlands and Islands was provided, in the main, by hundreds of volunteers who trained once a month, had only the most basic equipment and did their best.
They were valued by communities which recognised that, while it may not be the same as having a full time crew, their local unit was better than having no cover at all.
Since then massive improvements have been made but now, in some remote areas, we may be about to turn full circle and see that “nothing at all” come to pass.
Early this decade the majority of the volunteer stations became retained units, paying firefighters a small salary for the first time and demanding a minimum level of commitment. Training was stepped up to weekly and more equipment was provided.
This has created some problems of its own - the higher fitness levels required has made recruitment more difficult - but most see it as a significant step forward and it provides outstanding value for money for the taxpayer. A firefighter earns around £3,000 a year in return for being on call 120 hours per week.
However, there is now concern that the standard of training provided has not kept pace with the changes and Scotland’s most senior fire Steven Torrie believes the brigade is open to litigation if a retained firefighter is injured in the course of duty.
Worryingly for smaller and more remote communities, he argues that units which receive only a handful of call outs each year are unlikely ever to reach the required standard and will probably have to shut. Instead residents would receive better fire safety advice.
This is all very well in the central belt, where the nearest next fire station is probably no more than 30 minutes away. But that time can be doubled in parts of the Highlands, while on the islands the next fire appliance may require a ferry to reach you.
We do not dispute that improvements are required, particularly in the area of training retained junior officers to take command at incidents, but the answer lies in greater resources, not wholesale closures.
At present the Highlands and Islands Fire and Rescue Service cannot afford to plough more money into training. Change that and the situation will improve.
This region, because of its geography, will always be a special case and we cannot afford to step back to a time before volunteers were the norm.
The health and safety of firefighters is vitally important, but it should not be achieved at the expense of the public they serve.
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TYPICALLY footballers are portrayed as overpaid, over-indulged young men divorced from the real world.
Some in the upper echelons of the English Premiership and even the Scottish Premier League undoubtedly are, so it is good to be able to report on the excellent work others do quietly and without fuss.
Inverness Caledonian Thistle’s French duo, centre forward Gregory Tade and defender Kenny Gillet, are helping out with the S4 French class at Millburn Academy following an invitation from headmaster Gavin McLean. By all accounts their involvement is helping motivate pupils and will hopefully improve the youngsters’ exam performance.
In that sense to two worlds are not so far apart because just like football, education is all about results.
