Fife (Dunfermline, Lochgelly, Methil, Glenrothes)

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) is carrying out a Service Delivery Review to look at ways of reshaping and modernising the organisation. The primary aim is to ensure that resources – staff, stations and appliances – are matched to operational risk and demand across Scotland.

During summer 2025, SFRS consulted on a series of changes involving more than 30 fire stations across Scotland. In Fife, this include two options for change that involves four fire stations in Dunfermline, Glenrothes, Lochgelly and Methil.

In June 2025, a suite of recommendations were presented to the SFRS Board for decision, informed by feedback from communities, staff and stakeholders alongside operational, financial and equality evidence. 

The following change was approved for implementation in Fife:

• Proceed to permanently replace the third appliance at Dunfermline which was a combined aerial rescue pump (CARP), with a dedicated high reach appliance (HRA). The third appliance (CARP) was temporarily withdrawn and replaced with an HRA in September 2023; AND
• Defer decision on the remainder of the options pending further consideration of an alternative proposal to permanently implement the current temporary wholetime pump withdrawal configuration. This reduced the number of wholetime appliances at both Glenrothes AND Methil from two to one. 

The proposed changes were put forward as part of a 12-week public consultation between June and September 2025. Engagement activity included public meetings and drop-in sessions across affected communities, attended by more than 800 people across Scotland, alongside a public survey which generated more than 3,600 responses.

In Fife, this included:

• One-spot public meeting was held in Glenrothes on 21 July with 8 attendees
• One-spot public meeting was held in Methil on 23 July with 16 attendees
• One-spot public meeting was held in Lochgelly on 1 September with 90 attendees
• A drop-in session was held in Dunfermline on 6 August with 17 attendees
• A follow-up online meeting for people on Methil was held on 3 September with 11 attendees

In September 2023, budgetary limitations required the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to select ten of its wholetime appliances for temporary withdrawal. This included three in Fife and a permanent equivalent solution is now required.

Three fire stations in Fife - Lochgelly, Glenrothes and Methil - each had two wholetime appliances based there. But they were identified as having some of the least operational demand in Scotland and modelling identified that withdrawing second appliances from two of these stations would maintain sufficient operational coverage and resilience.

Three appliances were temporarily withdrawn within the Fife local authority area in September 2023.

This included the third combined aerial rescue pump (CARP) at Dunfermline, which was replaced by a dedicated high reach appliance.

Due to a lack of time to relocate Lochgelly’s specialist rope rescue capability, the station was not selected as a location for temporary appliance withdrawal and the slightly busier stations at Glenrothes and Methil were selected instead.

Prior to the temporary withdrawals we had a high concentration of resources based within Fife relative to the operational demand of these stations and compared to other similar geographical areas elsewhere in Scotland.

Dunfermline had three wholetime appliances. The third was a CARP. Operational demand for this appliance was very low, and we are replacing all CARPs across Scotland with specialist high reach appliances.

Operational demand at Lochgelly, Glenrothes and Methil is among the lowest of all wholetime stations in Scotland that have two whole time appliances; and is more aligned to stations with one appliance. Operational modelling shows that permanently changing two of these locations to having one appliance would be sufficient.

Since September 2023, Lochgelly pumping appliance mobilisations have slightly exceeded that of Glenrothes or Methil. This is because these stations have had fewer appliances to deploy and this has largely resulted in Kirkcaldy picking up a larger share of the operational activity.

The five-year implementation timescale of the Service Delivery Review has enabled SFRS to revisit the withdrawal of the second appliance from Lochgelly and consider it preferable to withdrawing from Glenrothes and Methil.

Withdrawing the second appliance from Lochgelly was identified as having the least impacts on response times.

• Replace the third appliance at Dunfermline which is a combined aerial rescue pump (CARP) with a dedicated high reach appliance. The third appliance (CARP) was temporarily withdrawn and replaced with a high reach appliance in September 2023; AND
• Reduce the number of wholetime appliances based at Lochgelly from two to one; AND
• Reduce the number of wholetime appliances based at Methil from two to one. The second appliance was temporarily withdrawn in September 2023; AND
• Reinstate the second appliance that was temporarily removed in September 2023 at Glenrothes

Pros

• Reinstatement of second appliance at Glenrothes.
• Makes permanent the essential saving achieved in 2023 by temporarily replacing CARP crewing with dedicated high reach appliance crewing at Dunfermline.
• Makes permanent the essential savings achieved by the temporary wholetime pump withdrawals in 2023 from Glenrothes and Methil.

Cons

• Moderate increase in second and third appliance response times within local areas

• Replace the third appliance at Dunfermline which is a combined aerial rescue pump (CARP) with a dedicated high reach appliance. The third appliance (CARP) was temporarily withdrawn and replaced with a high reach appliance in September 2023; AND
• Reduce the number of wholetime appliances based at Lochgelly from two to one; AND
• Reduce the number of wholetime appliances based at Glenrothes from two to one. The second appliance was temporarily withdrawn in September 2023; AND
• Reinstate the second appliance that was temporarily removed in September 2023 at Methil.

Pros

• Reinstatement of second appliance at Methil.
• Makes permanent the essential saving achieved in 2023 by temporarily replacing CARP crewing with dedicated high reach appliance crewing at Dunfermline.
• Makes permanent the essential savings achieved by the temporary wholetime pump withdrawals in 2023 from Glenrothes and Methil.

Cons

• Moderate increase in second and third appliance response times within local areas.