Three fire stations found to be in contravention of health and safety law

Fire union representatives John McKenzie and Gus Sproul with councillor Allison Duncan outside Lerwick fire station.

Three fire stations have been found to have breached health and safety law.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has demanded the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) takes urgent action at Bressay, Walls and Hillswick stations.

Inspector Graham McEvoy issued an enforcement notice to the SFRS over its “failure to provide sufficient welfare arrangements”.

Writing to the SFRS, Mr McEvoy said: “You have failed to provide adequate facilities and fire stations at Bressay, Walls and Hillswick in the Shetland Islands in that there are no fixed toilets, rest facilities, showers or changing areas at any of the facilities.

“Further, there is no running water at Walls station and no portaloo at Hillswick station.

“These arrangements are insufficient for any workplace but cause particular difficulties in the event of having to decontaminate after a response to a fire.”

For the stations to remain in use, the SFRS must provide the lacking facilities.

Mr McEvoy said this could be achieved by installing a “shipping container style welfare cabin”.

The alternative is to implement a “hub and satellite model” in which workers spend most of their time at a central hub with full facilitiess.

That is also where firefighters would return after responding to a fire for decontamination.

Duties at satellite sites would have to be “kept to a minimum”.

SFRS said in a statement:  “We are aware of the Health and Safety Executive notices which have been made in relation to community fire stations at Bressay, Hillswick and Walls in Shetland.

“We continue to work through an action plan with stakeholders and partners across Shetland to address these concerns.”

The damning letter follows campaigning from community safety and resilience chairman Allison Duncan and the Fire Brigades Union (FBU).

FBU health and safety representative for Scotland, Scott MacRory, filed complaints with the HSE regarding the three  stations in December.

At the time he said: “We are past pussyfooting around.”