Fire chiefs are urging people to have their say on the way services should be delivered in the years to come.

A public consultation has been launched by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) as it seeks to evolve over the next decade.

Feedback from local residents will be used to make the area a safer place to live, work and visit.

Chief Officer Martin Blunden said: “While our immediate environment is changing and we need to respond to this in terms of the services we provide, I also want our fire and rescue service to evolve and have an increasingly positive impact on the health and wellbeing of our communities.

“I see opportunities to improve the SFRS through advanced technology that will enable us to work in smarter and more innovative ways, continuing our shift towards the prevention of risk of harm for households and communities, and at the same time to work even more collaboratively with our communities and partners.

“As an employer, the wellbeing of our staff is a key priority and we want to do more to promote equality, diversity and inclusion, not just in our workforce but across the communities we serve.”

As well as attending fires, the SFRS performs an important role as a rescue service and also carries out fire prevention work, such as home safety visits.

The consultation document ‘SFRS – Long-Term Vision’ outlines four key principles the organisation wants to focus on over the next decade, along with eight priorities it wants to achieve.

These include achieving ‘Carbon Zero’ status in an effort to help tackle climate change.
Chief Officer Blunden added: “I would like to encourage you to read our vision document. I would like to hear what you think – positive or negative – as well as understand what’s important to you too, so that you, your family and your community feels safe and protected.”

The consultation runs until Sunday, July 18, and can be accessed HERE.