Ministers buy fire engines

Army personnel are being trained to use the equipment

The Scottish Executive has bought three red fire engines which will be used to provide training for military crews.

An executive spokesman said the appliances were bought from Grampian Fire Board and had been decommissioned.

He did not reveal how much the executive had paid for the engines.

The move was disclosed after a meeting of the Scottish Cabinet, where Deputy First Minister Jim Wallace briefed ministers on the current dispute with firefighters.

The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) in Scotland questioned the "timing" of the purchase.

Strike dates

22-30 November Starts/ends 0900

4-12 December Starts/ends 0900

16-24 December Starts/ends 0900

The first firefighters' strike in 25 years ended at 1800 GMT on Friday when crews went back to work after their 48-hour industrial action.

"We have purchased three red fire engines from Grampian which were being decommissioned," the executive spokesman said.

"The military are being trained on these, and they will enhance our capability in any future strike."

"Clearly ministers hope any strike can be avoided or averted.

"We are obviously keeping in close touch with developments."

Mr Wallace previously decided that two fire engines would be taken from the Scottish fire service training school at Gullane, East Lothian.

Union call

The executive has five engines that could be used by the Army alongside its own Green Goddess machines.

Four engines at Gullane being used to train fire service personnel could be deployed in the event of a strike, the spokesman added.

But the FBU has been critical of the move and urged ministers to concentrate on resolving the dispute through talks.

John Curran, of the FBU in Grampian, said: "The fact they sold three fire engines to the Scottish Executive is neither here nor there.

"The timing of it, I'm sure, could have been a lot better and it's maybe a bit cynical.

"But the bottom line is that it's not fire engines that put out fires but personnel on board those fire engines."

The union, which is demanding a 40% pay rise, rejected an 11% offer recommended by an independent review.