Hansard

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 and Rescue Framework for Scotland 2009". Many changes have been made to the responsibilities of our fire and rescue services since publication of the first framework in 2005 by the previous Government, not least because of the events that unfolded at Glasgow airport in June 2007, when we suddenly became aware of how vulnerable we all can be in the face of a terrorist attack. The way our fire and rescue services responded to that situation was testament not only to the bravery and selfless commitment of their workers, but to the efficiency and adaptability of those services.

Not long after my election to the Scottish Parliament, I spent a day with firefighters in Hawick in my constituency. It is a day that I will not forget, partly because I was able to fulfil a long-standing ambition to wear a fireman's hat. More important, I was able to experience first hand the dedication of the men and women who are concerned to do their job. Their work involves daily risking their own lives to save others, and it is both physically and emotionally demanding.

Alongside the stories of the people who are directly involved in the fire and rescue services are those of their families and the impact that working shifts or responding to pagers can have on family life. A friend of mine whose father was a firefighter in Glasgow spoke of how, as a young child, she would wake up in the night worried about her dad on night shift. As she got older, she would check the news each morning to find out whether there had been any big fires that he might have had to respond to. As we thank and pay tribute to all the men and women who work in the fire and rescue services, we should not forget their families.

Each of the eight Scottish fire and rescue services has its local needs, so I welcome the Scottish Government's commitment not to micromanage all the services. It is easy for me to compare the differences between the fire and rescue services in my more rural constituency with those in the city centre of Glasgow. If I remember correctly from my student days—which were not all that long ago—no Saturday night was complete without a 4 am call-out by Maryhill fire brigade to Murano Street halls because a student had decided to have toast after a night out. Each of the 388 fire stations or volunteer units in Scotland, which range from city centre multipump stations to remote rural volunteer units where equipment may be stored in a small garage, needs to have flexibility. It is important that we do not adopt a one-size-fits-all approach.

As I have already said, the roles and responsibilities of the fire and rescue services are constantly evolving. No longer do firefighters' duties amount to responding to fires and occasionally getting a cat out of a tree. Fire-raising is an area of recorded crime that continues to rise—it has risen by 88 per cent over the past 10 years. Fire and rescue services now have to deal with fire-related crimes and antisocial behaviour, so we welcome the Scottish Government's continued emphasis on community safety education and awareness campaigns, and its development of a range of initiatives to help the public understand not only the dangers but the consequences of fire-setting.

Another way in which our fire and rescue services have had to evolve is that they must be ready to deal with major incidents that result from terrorism or extreme weather. I am reassured to see that a review of existing resilience capabilities is being undertaken, with a view to enabling the Scottish fire and rescue advisory unit to assess regularly the total level of resilience capability.

Although I have emphasised the importance of flexibility and of local services being adjusted to local needs, there are some matters in which it is important that we take a national approach. We must be assured that if another major incident were ever to take place in Scotland, the eight authorities would have a consistent and joined-up approach. Eight fire and rescue authorities doing things in eight different ways could create major difficulties and compromise safety.

We welcome the Scottish Government's commitment to ensuring that high-quality training and support are provided, but those training opportunities must be rolled out across Scotland and must not be focused only on particular authorities. We need to be sure that when new recruits begin their work, their training and development is continued and supported to the same standards, regardless of where they are located.

In March this year, I lodged a motion on the FBU's report "In the Line of Duty". I am pleased to say that it rightly received cross-party support. The safety of our fire and rescue services is an issue that should bypass party politics. The report said that because different definitions and recording methods are used across the UK, it is nearly impossible to create an accurate record of on-duty firefighter fatalities. That has meant that very little analysis has been done of the figures, and that there has been little by way of an attempt to understand or evaluate the causes of those fatalities. Standardisation in recording and investigation of fatalities and injuries to firefighters could prevent future deaths. It is important that our fire and rescue service authorities communicate with one another, not just across Scotland but across the UK.

The Scottish Conservatives will support the Scottish Government's motion. We agree with the principles of reducing risk, responding effectively and improving the safety of communities, which can be done more effectively by giving fire and rescue services the freedom to address local needs and by looking at where the services can work together and learn from each other.