Fife Council has formally given its backing to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) local plan for the area.
The plan, which was open for public consultation from March to June, was approved by the authority’s elected members at a meeting of the Environment, Protective Services and Community Safety Committee of 27th October.
Local Senior Officer for Fife, Iain Vincent said: “The fire and rescue plan for Fife is a local plan developed for local needs and I’m delighted elected members have given it their support.”
The importance of partnership working runs throughout the Fife fire and rescue plan, with the sharing of information between agencies highlighted as benefiting the public.
Addressing the specific needs of each of the area’s communities was seen by SFRS as key to successfully protecting them, and the approval of elected members reflects the shared commitment to all of Fife.
Local Senior Officer Vincent added: “Crews regularly provide free Home Fire Safety Visits where they share advice with householders to help them identify potential risks and offer guidance on what to do in the event of an emergency.
“These visits play an important role in improving fire safety at home and ultimately help protect our communities from harm.
“We will continue to work closely with our partners to identify those who are most vulnerable from fire to ensure appropriate risk reduction measures are in place.
“We want to support our entire community but we all know older or vulnerable people who could be at risk – it could be a family member or even a friend or neighbour.
“I would encourage our communities to get in touch if they are in need of a visit from us.”
To arrange a free Home Fire Safety visit contact SFRS on the freephone number 0800 073 1999, by texting ‘FIRE’ to 80800 or by filling in a form at www.firescotland.gov.uk
Environment, Protective Services and Community Safety Committee Convener Cllr Ross Vettraino welcomed the plan.
He said: “Fife Council were delighted to approve the plan.
"It is important for the residents of Fife to see a clear strategy in place for the future of fire and rescue services in Fife. The local plan acts as a reassurance that the service is still tailored to the needs of our individual communities.
“Prevention is the key and I urge anyone, who doesn’t have a smoke alarm in their home, to take advantage of the free advisory service by contacting the Fire Service without delay.
"It is often the most vulnerable members of society who are most at risk from a potential fire in the home. The Council, its community partners and local organisations, by continuing to work together, can ensure that they and all our communities benefit from improved fire safety."
