Chamber
Plenary, 10 Sep 2009
10 Sep 2009 · S3 · Plenary
Item of business
Fire and Rescue Framework
I, too, associate myself with members' comments about Ewan Williamson.
I will be fairly brief and will concentrate on a subject that has been mentioned only in passing by Angela Constance. It is an aspect of the work of the fire and rescue services that has proved to be extraordinarily important in my area, and in relation to which the minister's announcement in his opening speech is timely. I will talk about the impact of flooding, given the events of last weekend.
Throughout Scotland, but particularly in Moray, many families and individuals have yet again been left traumatised—I use the word advisedly—by the effects of events last weekend. To be flooded out of one's home is a truly traumatic experience. I can testify to the fact that certain individuals—whom the minister knows, as they live in his constituency—say that whenever heavy rain falls in their community, their personal anxiety levels rise, they have a degree of trepidation about what that might bring and they fear what might happen to them and their property. It is not only flooding that is damaging—the fear of flooding is damaging, too.
In such circumstances, the public need early warning of what might be about to happen to them. Thankfully, the processes for that are improving. However, the public also need to be prepared to minimise the impact of flooding if it affects their properties and their families. Also, they need on occasion to be assisted to leave their property or to be rescued from their property.
As we all know—not least because the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment said so yesterday—that that problem is going to increase because of changes in our climate and in the pattern and intensity of rainfall. It is inevitable that there will be more flooding events in Scotland in coming years, which means that it is likely that more communities will be affected by flooding.
Partly because of the force of nature and partly because of the unpredictability of flooding events, it is not always possible to protect every property in Scotland from flooding, which means that there will always have to be a rescue element to our flooding preparations, and that more work will always be required to help people to prepare for floods.
Last year, when the Rural Affairs and Environment Committee was considering the Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Bill, we heard effective evidence about the lack of coherence that is sometimes evident in the responses of emergency services, and we were told of the need for greater clarity around roles and when various services should act. Amendments that were lodged as a result of that evidence led to cross-party discussions with the minister about how to handle the matter, which resulted in Paddy Tomkins being asked to conduct a review.
I am a bit disappointed that the framework document acknowledges that review only on page 19, which is quite late in the document, and that there is no earlier rehearsal of the role of the fire and rescue service in water rescue, although it is a current and key activity. I regret to say that the review appears to be somewhat of an afterthought in the document, and that there is no rehearsal of the service's potential role in the future, or of the fact that the context in which we are operating might require that that role be enhanced.
I am pleased to say that, as it always does, the fire and rescue service in Moray played a vital role over the weekend in helping communities in Elgin, Fochabers and other areas. It was highly professional, provided reassurance to the communities within which it was operating and provided support to people who were being helped to leave their properties or were being rescued from those properties. There are always lessons to be learned from such incidents. In Moray, we have a fire and rescue service that has had a lot of practice in dealing with such incidents. Not every service has had so much, however.
I believe that the fire and rescue services throughout Scotland are well placed to play a key and enhanced role in water rescue. There are various parts to that. First, there is an education role, which is linked to preparing people for incidents. Through its fire prevention work, the fire service has great experience in helping people to adjust and adapt their personal circumstances.
Secondly, the service has a role to play in responding to incidents by rescuing and assisting people. If that is to be carried out properly, it will need funding, the provision of proper equipment to all the services and—as many members have said today, and as the Fire Brigades Union said in its briefing—training in how to deal with those incidents. As Stewart Maxwell said, the services that do not have the level of experience that the service in Moray has will require greater training to enable them to operate properly when such circumstances arise.
I hope that, when the minister sums up, he will tell us what progress is being made on the Tomkins report. I also hope that he will assure us that, when he considers revising the framework following this debate and further consultation, he will think about how he can accommodate within it more explicit recognition of the existing role of the fire and rescue service in water rescue, and an acknowledgment that the Tomkins report might make recommendations about what the fire and rescue service might have to do in the future.
Presiding Officer, I have run out of things to say on this subject, so I will now sit down.
I will be fairly brief and will concentrate on a subject that has been mentioned only in passing by Angela Constance. It is an aspect of the work of the fire and rescue services that has proved to be extraordinarily important in my area, and in relation to which the minister's announcement in his opening speech is timely. I will talk about the impact of flooding, given the events of last weekend.
Throughout Scotland, but particularly in Moray, many families and individuals have yet again been left traumatised—I use the word advisedly—by the effects of events last weekend. To be flooded out of one's home is a truly traumatic experience. I can testify to the fact that certain individuals—whom the minister knows, as they live in his constituency—say that whenever heavy rain falls in their community, their personal anxiety levels rise, they have a degree of trepidation about what that might bring and they fear what might happen to them and their property. It is not only flooding that is damaging—the fear of flooding is damaging, too.
In such circumstances, the public need early warning of what might be about to happen to them. Thankfully, the processes for that are improving. However, the public also need to be prepared to minimise the impact of flooding if it affects their properties and their families. Also, they need on occasion to be assisted to leave their property or to be rescued from their property.
As we all know—not least because the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment said so yesterday—that that problem is going to increase because of changes in our climate and in the pattern and intensity of rainfall. It is inevitable that there will be more flooding events in Scotland in coming years, which means that it is likely that more communities will be affected by flooding.
Partly because of the force of nature and partly because of the unpredictability of flooding events, it is not always possible to protect every property in Scotland from flooding, which means that there will always have to be a rescue element to our flooding preparations, and that more work will always be required to help people to prepare for floods.
Last year, when the Rural Affairs and Environment Committee was considering the Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Bill, we heard effective evidence about the lack of coherence that is sometimes evident in the responses of emergency services, and we were told of the need for greater clarity around roles and when various services should act. Amendments that were lodged as a result of that evidence led to cross-party discussions with the minister about how to handle the matter, which resulted in Paddy Tomkins being asked to conduct a review.
I am a bit disappointed that the framework document acknowledges that review only on page 19, which is quite late in the document, and that there is no earlier rehearsal of the role of the fire and rescue service in water rescue, although it is a current and key activity. I regret to say that the review appears to be somewhat of an afterthought in the document, and that there is no rehearsal of the service's potential role in the future, or of the fact that the context in which we are operating might require that that role be enhanced.
I am pleased to say that, as it always does, the fire and rescue service in Moray played a vital role over the weekend in helping communities in Elgin, Fochabers and other areas. It was highly professional, provided reassurance to the communities within which it was operating and provided support to people who were being helped to leave their properties or were being rescued from those properties. There are always lessons to be learned from such incidents. In Moray, we have a fire and rescue service that has had a lot of practice in dealing with such incidents. Not every service has had so much, however.
I believe that the fire and rescue services throughout Scotland are well placed to play a key and enhanced role in water rescue. There are various parts to that. First, there is an education role, which is linked to preparing people for incidents. Through its fire prevention work, the fire service has great experience in helping people to adjust and adapt their personal circumstances.
Secondly, the service has a role to play in responding to incidents by rescuing and assisting people. If that is to be carried out properly, it will need funding, the provision of proper equipment to all the services and—as many members have said today, and as the Fire Brigades Union said in its briefing—training in how to deal with those incidents. As Stewart Maxwell said, the services that do not have the level of experience that the service in Moray has will require greater training to enable them to operate properly when such circumstances arise.
I hope that, when the minister sums up, he will tell us what progress is being made on the Tomkins report. I also hope that he will assure us that, when he considers revising the framework following this debate and further consultation, he will think about how he can accommodate within it more explicit recognition of the existing role of the fire and rescue service in water rescue, and an acknowledgment that the Tomkins report might make recommendations about what the fire and rescue service might have to do in the future.
Presiding Officer, I have run out of things to say on this subject, so I will now sit down.
In the same item of business
The Presiding Officer (Alex Fergusson):
NPA
Good morning. The first item of business this morning is a debate on motion S3M-4810, in the name of Fergus Ewing, on the fire and rescue framework.We have a...
The Minister for Community Safety (Fergus Ewing):
SNP
The Scottish Government requested this debate to give the Parliament an opportunity to discuss our continued commitment to ensuring that Scotland has an effi...
Elaine Smith (Coatbridge and Chryston) (Lab):
Lab
As part of the review, will the minister ensure that IRMP is not just about cost cutting, but does what it is supposed to do?
Fergus Ewing:
SNP
During the past three years there has been an increase of 12 per cent in revenue funding, which I think we all welcome. I assure the member that cost cutting...
Paul Martin (Glasgow Springburn) (Lab):
Lab
I concur with the minister's remarks in respect of the late Ewan Williamson, and on behalf of my party I send our condolences to his family during this diffi...
Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD):
LD
We will support both the motion and Labour's amendment.I listened carefully to the minister's comments, and I am grateful for the insight that he gave the Pa...
Alasdair Allan (Western Isles) (SNP):
SNP
I appreciate that the member acknowledges the importance of the work that retained firefighters do. In that light, can he explain why the only Lib Dem member...
Robert Brown:
LD
I think that I am right in saying that my colleague, the former member of the European Parliament for the Scottish Liberal Democrats, took a particular view ...
John Lamont (Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (Con):
Con
I endorse the comments of the minister and others on the tragic loss of Ewan Williamson.The Scottish Conservatives welcome the publication of the "Draft Fire...
The Presiding Officer:
NPA
We come to the open debate. I repeat that we have some flexibility with time, so members should feel free to take interventions.
Stewart Maxwell (West of Scotland) (SNP):
SNP
I associate myself with the minister's remarks on the tragic death of Ewan Williamson. I know that the thoughts of all members go out to his friends, his fam...
Robert Brown:
LD
Has Stewart Maxwell been struck, as I have been, by the fact that the majority of fatal casualties occur in fires in dwellings in which smoke detectors are n...
Stewart Maxwell:
SNP
Robert Brown makes a salient point. There has been huge success in bringing smoke detectors to the public's attention. Many people install them and change th...
Bill Butler (Glasgow Anniesland) (Lab):
Lab
I express my sincere condolences to the family of Ewan Williamson for their grievous loss. I also state my admiration for the bravery of my fellow trade unio...
Fergus Ewing:
SNP
It might be useful to make it clear that the Government has an entirely open mind in respect of governance issues. We appreciate and have discussed with the ...
Bill Butler:
Lab
I am grateful to the minister for his assertion that the Government has an open mind on governance issues. That chimes with his opening speech, in which he s...
Angela Constance (Livingston) (SNP):
SNP
Like other members, I associate myself with the minister's tribute to Ewan Williamson. Many firefighters in my constituency knew and worked with Ewan. I also...
Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab):
Lab
I, too, associate myself with members' comments about Ewan Williamson.I will be fairly brief and will concentrate on a subject that has been mentioned only i...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Alasdair Morgan):
SNP
That is a good time to stop, certainly.
Jim Tolson (Dunfermline West) (LD):
LD
It is a pity that we could not have had this debate yesterday, when I understand that an unusually high number of emergency service personnel from throughout...
Fergus Ewing:
SNP
Is the member aware that I have an excellent relationship with Mr Raeburn from his party?
Jim Tolson:
LD
I was not aware of that detail. However, when it comes to working with others, the minister might recall that, when the Liberal Democrats raised the issue of...
Jamie Hepburn (Central Scotland) (SNP):
SNP
I welcome the opportunity to debate the Government's draft fire and rescue framework. Like other members, I pay tribute to Scotland's 8,310 firefighters and ...
Elaine Smith (Coatbridge and Chryston) (Lab):
Lab
It would be hard to criticise the Scottish Government's motion or the minister's sincere speech. However, I am sure the minister agrees that there are issues...
Nigel Don (North East Scotland) (SNP):
SNP
Like colleagues, I pay tribute to the work and dedication of the fire service. The untimely death of Ewan Williamson reminds us that some of the jobs that ar...
Stewart Maxwell:
SNP
I appreciate that we are in the early days and that there are not many statistics on the impact. We should not jump to conclusions too early, but it is certa...
Nigel Don:
SNP
That is my very point: we should not have to wait very long. After all, good ideas do not necessarily need to come with too many statistics attached. Althoug...
Cathie Craigie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (Lab):
Lab
I am pleased to take part in this debate. Like other members, I pay tribute to Ewan Williamson, who gave his life serving his community.The motion and amendm...
Christina McKelvie (Central Scotland) (SNP):
SNP
I add my condolences to those of my colleagues from throughout the Parliament to Ewan Williamson's family, friends and colleagues. I pay tribute to all our f...
Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab):
Lab
It is important to provide clarification that the point is not about firefighters enforcing the standards; it is about the services around them, and ensuring...