Work to continue on new Groats fire station
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A NEW fire station at John O’Groats will be completed – despite fresh fears over firefighter training and the sustainability of the service in the Highlands.
The Highlands and Islands Joint Fire Board voted to continue work as planned on the replacement fire station at a meeting held on Monday.
Doubts over its future emerged last month when a plan to suspend work was mooted in a report by the Highlands and Islands Fire and Rescue Service’s chief fire officer, Trevor Johnson.
Fire board member and local Highland councillor Gail Ross, Wick, said it was decided the cost of the new station to the board and the cost to the community would be “too much to defer”, so it will be completed.
“It’s good news for John O’Groats and also for the wider community as the station often picks up jobs that Wick and Thurso can’t do for whatever reason,” she told the Caithness Courier.
“There was just no way that they could have stayed in the fire station that they are in just now – it’s only just big enough to house the fire engine.
“It would have been an absolute travesty if the new build didn’t go ahead.”
The contract for the new facility at Groats was awarded last year, along with new stations at St Margaret’s Hope and Whalsay. Construction is already well advanced on all three sites, with contractors working on the building’s roof at John O’Groats.
The announcement comes after the region’s emergency service came under renewed flak as a whistle-blower claimed there had been problems with training for the best part of a decade.
Shortcomings may have been brought to officers’ attention as far back as 2003, it has emerged.
Despite this apparent warning, it was only two weeks ago that Audit Scotland brought to light in a scathing report the “serious weaknesses” in how the fire service manages its workforce in relation to training and health and safety issues.
A Highlands and Islands Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said yesterday: “The service is aware that the fire board has received a complaint under the whistle-blowing policy.
“It will be investigated in line with the policy. At this time, the service is unable to make any further comment.”
The joint board heard about the allegations on Monday. Mrs Ross said the matter was a “shock”, adding: “The general reaction of the board was of shock and disappointment at these claims, however, with the way things have been going and what has already come out of the woodwork recently it is not that ?surprising so there is to be a full ?investigation into the claims.”
Mrs Ross hopes this will be the last revelation to rock the fire and rescue service.
Meanwhile, the joint fire board has voted for an independent inquiry into what brought about the problems which were raised by the Audit Scotland report and by staff about the running of the region’s fire service.
“At the last board meeting it was asked if we could get a costings for an independent review for all the stuff that has happened,” said Mrs Ross.
“Obviously members of the public and the board want to know how things got to the way they are, with so many fire stations and firefighters falling short of acceptable standards of training.”
The motion for an independent review was passed but some board members felt it was a witch-hunt and a waste of time as the officers in charge when the problems first appeared are now retired and can no longer be made to give evidence. Fears were also raised that the £10,000 cost could spiral.
Since publication of the report service bosses have met the fire board and unions, and say a plan will be put into action to ensure all firefighters in the Highlands and Islands have the right training.
