Inverclyde

There are two options for this area involving two fire stations.

• Greenock
• Port Glasgow

• Replace the second wholetime appliance at Greenock, which is a combined aerial rescue pump (CARP) with a dedicated high reach appliance. The second appliance (CARP) has been temporarily crewed as a dedicated high reach appliance since September 2023.

Pros

• Matching resources to operational demand in the area.
• Reduction and redirection of around £426,000 in annual running costs.

Cons

• Moderate increase in second appliance response times in Greenock.

• Introduce a new duty system for the third appliance at Greenock, which is currently crewed by on call firefighters. This would see that appliance crewed by wholetime firefighters during day shift hours from Monday to Friday between 8am and 6pm and crewed by on call firefighters out with these hours. The first wholetime appliance would be unchanged; AND
• Introduce a new duty system for the first appliance at Port Glasgow, which is currently crewed by wholetime firefighters. This would see that appliance crewed by wholetime firefighters during day shift hours from Monday to Friday between 8am and 6pm and crewed by on call firefighters out with these hours. The second on call appliance would be unchanged.

Pros

• This option rebalances resources across Inverclyde to ensure availability of wholetime firefighters during busiest day-shift hours, to support nearby Gourock, and
  provide better alignment with local risk and demand and national comparisons.
• Maintains wholetime crew during time of highest demand during day shift hours.
• Transfer of around 11 staff to other key roles across training, prevention and operational resilience.
• Reduction in around £815,000 in running costs.
• Enables Greenock to support Gourock with daytime incident responses and community safety work.

Cons

• Moderate increase in second appliance response times in Greenock.

We currently have an imbalance of resources across Inverclyde where operational demand does not match where our appliances are based.

Greenock currently has three appliances, two crewed by wholetime and one by on call. The second wholetime is a combined aerial rescue pump – known as a CARP.

Operational demand for this appliance is low, and we are replacing all CARPs across Scotland with specialist high reach appliances (HRA).

The CARP was temporarily withdrawn as a pumping appliance and crewed as a dedicated high reach appliance in September 2023. A permanent equivalent solution is now required.

Operational demand at Greenock is the second lowest of all fire stations with three appliances, and lower than most stations with two wholetime appliances.