Latest news with #DavidStrachan
Scotsman
29-05-2025
- General
- Scotsman
Plan to close Edinburgh's Marionville fire station would 'increase risk to community'
Plans to close Edinburgh's Marionville fire station would mean longer response times for emergencies, putting communities at greater risk, a firefighters' leader has warned. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The station, which was built using the potentially dangerous Reinforced Autoclaved Aereated Concrete (RAAC), has been earmarked to shut in a review by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS). But fire chiefs say no decision has been made and nothing will happen until the public have been consulted. However, a petition has been launched on by Marionville firefighter and Fire Brigades Union rep David Strachan to save the station from closure. Marionville fire station is being proposed for closure | Google Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Mr Strachan argues Marionville fire station is 'a crucial resource in the east of Edinburgh, less than a mile from the city centre' and the closing it will mean 'a huge increase in risk'. He says: 'Marionville was built using RAAC panels which means the station must be rebuilt. SFRS, due to lack of proper funding, are moving forward to permanently close the station. It is unacceptable that due to underfunding, firefighters and their community are now facing further risk due to chronic financial neglect. 'The closure of Marionville presents a huge increase in risk, with increased response times to a densely populated area of Edinburgh, a city where the population is increasing at an unprecedented rate. 'It also has knock-on effects, putting significantly increased pressure on surrounding fire stations, two of which are already the first and third busiest in Scotland. Resources are already spread far too thin in the Capital. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'It is a matter of minutes for a fire to go from manageable to fully developed, dramatically increasing the risk to people, property and firefighters.' Edinburgh East Labour MP Chris Murray said: 'The Marionville firefighters put their lives on the line every day to protect people in central and east Edinburgh. 'There is lots of student accommodation being built in that area, the population is going up a lot, there are a lot of tenemented streets - and any 999 call about a tenement requires two fire engines to attend. 'It's also the city centre - so that means the Scottish Parliament, Holyrood Palace, the Festival and so on. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'If the closure goes ahead the nearest fire stations left would be Newcraighall at one end and McDonald Road at the other. Both of these have very congested routes to that part of Edinburgh. From Newcraighall, I've spent 40 minutes trying to get there in a car. The roads are clogged. 'And minutes really matter when it comes to a fire. The longer you leave a fire, the more dangerous it is for someone to get it, so you'll get there three minutes later and it's not safe enough to send firefighters in any more and you have to let it burn - or the risk to the firefighters themselves becomes so much higher.' SFRS deputy assistant chief officer Andrew Girrity said: "We are currently in the midst of a service delivery review, which aims to ensure that our resources – our staff, stations and appliances – are matched to operational risk and demand across Scotland. 'We also must address urgent property issues including stations affected by RAAC, which includes Marionville Community Fire Station. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad "We have now concluded an options appraisal and development process, and a number of change options have been recommended to progress to public consultation in the summer. This remains subject to final approval by the SFRS Board. "Any permanent changes to our station footprint or how we deliver our services will only come after we have sought views from the public and a final decision has been made by the SFRS Board."
Edinburgh Live
29-05-2025
- General
- Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh locals 'deeply concerned' as fire station threatened with closure
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info An Edinburgh fire station threatened by closure has sparked a frenzy of concern from locals and firefighters who say they are concerned for the safety of their neighbourhood. The Marionville Fire Station in Restalrig may close and relocate three miles away to Newcraighall. Edinburgh Live spoke to David Strachan, Marionville's branch representative for the Fire Brigade Union (FBU). The firefighter has worked at the station for 17 years and was "deeply upset" by the news of potential closure. He claimed the move to Newcraighall would come with a downsize, costing the station 10 firefighter posts which he called a safety concern for the area. David said: "This is my community. I live in Abbeyhill. My family lives here and my kids go to school in this area. Marionville would be the first [station] attendance at my home and my kids school and for friends in the area if there was a fire. "I'm worried that my family and friends, the people of of our community, would have to wait longer for fire engines to respond to an emergency. I have serious concerns that it would make people in this part of Edinburgh less safe." David claimed the next nearest fire station at McDonald Road, one of the busiest bases in Scotland, would pick up the bulk of Marionville's calls - making the station "significantly busier". He added: "If McDonald Road [station] is busy - they can only respond to one call at a time - if there were two calls concurrently, people would be waiting even longer for a response." Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages. Asked about the morale at the station, David added: "Everyone is very unsettled because we don't know what future holds for us. Our primary concern is for the people of this community that are ultimately going to be less safe as a result of this decision." The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said the decision to close Marionville was not final and that "any permanent changes to our station footprint or how we deliver our services will only come after we have sought views from the public". Chris Murray, MP for Edinburgh East and Musselburgh, has voiced his support for the fire station. He told Edinburgh Live: "I am perplexed that the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service are taking forward proposals to close Marionville Fire Station. This station is a vital resource in addressing callouts across my constituency, and the whole city. "Given the pressures we have seen on the fire service over the likes of Bonfire Night, I am clear that closing this station is not in the interests of my constituents' safety." A post on his Instagram adds: "The Marionville firefighters put their lives on the line every day to protect people in central and east Edinburgh. I have met with them several times and heard how bravely they act to save lives – and how they are increasingly overstretched. "Cutting this station to move resources elsewhere would increase response times – which could be the difference between a bad incident, and a disastrous one. As the local MP, I am crystal clear: Marionville fire station should not be considered for closure." David launched a petition to help save the station, which garnered over 1,500 signatures in 24 hours. It explains that Marionville was built using Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) panels, meaning the station is unsafe and needs to be rebuilt. The petition continues: "The closure of Marionville presents a huge increase in risk, with increased response times to a densely populated area of Edinburgh, a city where the population is increasing at an unprecedented rate . . . Resources are already spread far too thin in the capital. "It is a matter of minutes for a fire to go from manageable to fully developed, dramatically increasing the risk to people, property and firefighters." You can find David's petition here. Deputy Assistant Chief Officer Andrew Girrity from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said: "We are currently in the midst of a service delivery review, which aims to ensure that our resources – our staff, stations and appliances – are matched to operational risk and demand across Scotland. 'We also must address urgent property issues including stations affected by Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC), which includes Marionville Community Fire Station. "We have now concluded an options appraisal and development process, and a number of change options have been recommended to progress to public consultation in the summer. This remains subject to final approval by the SFRS Board. "Any permanent changes to our station footprint or how we deliver our services will only come after we have sought views from the public and a final decision has been made by the SFRS Board."
