Government accused of 'contempt' over lack of running water at fire stations

The Conservatives have accused the Scottish Government of treating firefighters with “contempt” after figures revealed 18 fire stations around the country do not have running water.

According to the stats, which were obtained by the Scottish Conservatives via a Freedom of Information request, the 18 stations are mainly located across rural areas in the Highlands and Islands.

Most consist of fire appliance garages, but four have only a “garden shed” and three are listed as “no building”.

The party said that at one of the sites, a fire appliance garage at Foyers, it had been reported that fire crews were having to use wet wipes to clean equipment.

The Tories said the figures come in the wake of proposals unveiled by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) to close up to 13 fire stations due to “funding cuts”, with the body having seen its budget fall by £57m in real terms over 10 years.

Scottish Conservative shadow community safety minister Sharon Dowey MSP said: “These shocking figures are proof of the SNP’s contempt for Scotland’s brave firefighters.

“It’s shameful and negligent that they are risking the health and wellbeing of dedicated emergency workers by denying them access to the most basic yet essential facilities at work.

“SNP ministers have been short-changing the service for years, leaving firefighters to do their job with one hand behind their back, jeopardising public safety.

“On their watch, the number of firefighters is plummeting, stations are being earmarked for closure and now we learn a growing number of bases lack running water.

“This situation is intolerable, unsustainable and could have devastating consequences.

“SNP ministers must ensure all of Scotland’s fire stations are fit for purpose immediately.”

The Conservatives said in 2022 there were at least 11 fire stations reported as having no running water, which they said meant the problem had “worsened, or no action has been taken”.

They also pointed to SFRS figures from April 2024 showing that 45% of fire stations are in poor condition and 75% are deemed “unsuitable”.

The party added that the SFRS was also criticised by the Health and Safety Executive earlier this year over the condition of some fire stations.

Assistant chief officer Craig McGoldrick, director of training, safety and assurance at SFRS, said SFRS has an “insurmountable” capital backlog of more than £800m, and that many of its ageing buildings “require action”.

He went on: “We can only address this by changing how we work. We’re currently running a public consultation that outlines 23 options for change to help address urgent property issues and ensure our resources – staff, stations and appliances are matched to operational risk and demand across Scotland.

“We recognise that there are limited welfare facilities at some fire stations, and we have issues with RAAC in other sites, all of which form considerations as part of the public consultation.”

Mr McGoldrick said: “The safety of our firefighters will always be a priority and it’s important that our crews can shower and clean kit following attendance at an incident with potential contaminants.

“£3.2m is being invested by the service into the management of fire contaminants and this includes boosting our reserves of personal protective equipment, enhanced storage for contaminated kit and new laundry procedures.

“For the small number of stations without running water, specialist decontamination wipes have been provided.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Scotland’s firefighters do an amazing job and the Scottish Government continues to support the SFRS to deliver the high standard of services required to keep Scotland safe with an overall budget of £412.2m, an increase of £18.8m for 2025-26.

“Scotland continues to have more firefighters per capita than other parts of the UK.

“The SFRS has been clear that the changes proposed are not about cuts but so it can adapt to the changing risks and demands of communities and ensure firefighters are in the right place at the right time.

“For example, eight of the 13 stations in the review have not been operational for a number of years and dwelling fires have reduced by over 20% since 2013, whilst climate-related events such as flooding and wildfires have increased.”