Fears about firefighting vehicle

A total of 16 frontline jobs are being cut at two stations

Fears have been raised that a new fire appliance for Dundee will have difficulty accessing some city streets.

The combined aerial rescue pump (Carp) is being introduced as part of an efficiency drive, which will see 16 frontline jobs lost.

The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) claims the vehicle will have trouble entering 70 streets in its operational region, and a further 100 in other city areas.

Tayside Fire and Rescue denies that and claims there is no risk to the public.

The FBU made the allegations at a presentation to politicians and the fire board.

'A compromise'

The union is concerned at plans to cut the 16 posts across the Balmossie and Blackness stations, although there will be no compulsory redundancies.

Tayside Fire and Rescue believes not as many staff will be required because the new vehicle can perform functions which currently need two appliances.

However, Jim Malone from the FBU feels the aerial rescue pump is unreliable.

"It's accepted within the industry that it's a compromise, it neither gives you one thing or the other," he said.

"It can give you a reduced aerial capacity for rescue; it can also give reduced capacity as a fire engine attending fires.

The FBU raised concerns with the Chief Fire Officer

"Our main concern is its inability to access streets that a normal fire engine would normally be able to enter."

He added that he had particular concern about accessing certain roads around Ninewells Accident and Emergency unit, the Royal Victoria Hospital, Harris Academy and Dundee University.

Chief Fire Officer Stephen Hunter told the BBC Scotland news website the service must make savings if it wants to continue funding firefighters' wage rises agreed during the 2003 industrial dispute.

He added that efficiency measures being proposed by the FBU would not make the required financial savings.

Mr Hunter denied that the new aerial rescue pump would have access problems.

"I would challenge the Fire Brigades Union assertions that this vehicle won't get into all of the streets that they've actually identified," he said.

"As a result of the Fire Brigades Union bringing this information to us, we, as the management of Tayside Fire and Rescue, are actually going to be carrying out our own survey.

"But we are content that this fire engine, because it's the same width as a current rescue pump, and because of the high specification, it has the same manoeuvrability as a rescue pump, then it will be able to get into more of these streets."