Assistant Chief Officer Lewis Ramsay is the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s Director of Response and Resilience.
Please see below his full response to the following article in the Sunday Herald newspaper:
ACO Ramsay said: “Let us be one hundred per cent clear. It was the national Fire Brigades Union that halted these trials.
"We have made a strong offer here in Scotland for those firefighters being trained and equipped to respond to terrorist attack.
"This includes a payment to secure the availability of firefighters committed to responding to acts of terrorism where mass casualties are involved, within an area where terrorists remain or could remain at large.
"This availability allowance would be supported through additional payments that recognise the fact that Scottish firefighters are prepared to work beyond their defined roles.
"We are talking about attacks of the very kind we witnessed ten years ago at Glasgow Airport where our firefighters stood on the front line to protect the public.
"This offer very much remains on the table.
"We had fostered a progressive relationship with Chris McGlone and the FBU in Scotland.
"We are therefore extremely disappointed his position now appears to reflect the very blinkered view of the FBU in London which is focussed on pay negotiations in England and Wales."
ACO Ramsay added: "The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service exists to save lives and our priority will always be the safety of the people of Scotland.
"We must look at how we can protect our communities from the new and emerging risks they now face.
“These not only include the rise of terrorism but severe weather related flooding and an elderly population that is increasingly calling on our support to stay safe.
“Our Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest Trials had potentially saved the lives of more than 40 people across Scotland.
“The commitment of our firefighters is outstanding and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service fully supports their right to a significantly improved recognition package for this wider role - the very offer the FBU is seeking.
"We have asked the FBU leadership to come to the negotiating table, put politics to the side and do the right thing for the people of Scotland and the firefighters that protect them."
