Scotland’s community safety and fire minister yesterday refused to be drawn on the justification for closing emergency control rooms in the north and north-east.
Roseanna Cunningham insisted on a visit to Aberdeen that no decisions had been taken about the future of call centres in the former Grampian and Highlands and Islands service areas.
But the SNP MSP admitted that the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) board had a “tough decision” to make at its meeting tomorrow.
Members will be asked to back recommendations to switch to a new structure of three bases – at Johnstone in Renfrewshire, Edinburgh and Dundee.
Critics say loss of local knowledge could risk lives, while north-east politicians say it will cost £2million more to upgrade Dundee than stay in Aberdeen.
Ms Cunningham said: “I am not a trained firefighter, nor am I somebody who is in a position to be able to make decisions on the safety of the communities of the whole of Scotland in terms of delivery of fire and rescue services.
“That is the kind of operational decision making that has to be done by the board for the people of Scotland.”
The minister pointed out that the board rejected recommendations at a meeting in September to move from eight to two control rooms serving the country. An amendment was made by the board to look instead at retaining three centres.
Ms Cunningham added: “The board has a tough decision to make, they have to look at the arguments and they have got to decide if they will take the recommendations or make a change.
“I can’t second guess how they will jump.”
A Scottish Government spokesman said the board would be “undermined” if ministers intervened.
“Reconfiguring the work of control centres will improve the way emergency services respond to calls and incidents, reduce duplication and ensure resources are better directed to the frontline.
“The geographical location of control rooms has no impact on the service members of the public in local communities receive – the professional knowledge of control room staff supported by sophisticated systems and technology remain, ensuring that the high level of service continues.”
Yesterday, north-east Labour MSP Lewis Macdonald said he had written to all members of the board calling for the retention of the Aberdeen control room, which already has the IT equipment needed to serve a wider area.
He said: “The creation of the SFRS was supposed to be about savings, yet we have a report from the chief fire officer that finds that keeping the Aberdeen control room is the cheapest option, then recommends closing it.
“I am calling on board members not simply to endorse the report’s recommendations, but to take the opportunity at the meeting to get to the truth behind the facts and figures.”