Inverclyde (Greenock, Port Glasgow)

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 Inverclyde, this included two options for change involving two fire stations in Greenock and Port Glasgow.

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 Inverclyde:

• Proceed to replace the second wholetime appliance at Greenock, which is a combined aerial rescue pump (CARP) with a dedicated high reach appliance (HRA). The pumping capability of the second wholetime appliance (CARP) was temporarily withdrawn and only its HRA capability has been utilised since September 2023. The CARP will be replaced with a dedicated HRA as part of the height strategy which will see six new HRAs enter service over the next three financial years.

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 Inverclyde, this included: 

• One-spot public meeting held in Greenock on 27 August 2025 with 25 attendees
• One-spot public meeting held in Port Glasgow on 28 August 2025 with 49 attendees

The meetings were facilitated by the Health and Social Care Alliance (Scotland) (‘The Alliance’) who submitted a post-event report capturing the main issues raised during the meetings.

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 appliance 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The CARP was temporarily withdrawn as a pumping appliance and crewed as a dedicated high reach appliance in September 2023.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.

• 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.
• Makes permanent the essential saving achieved in 2023 by temporarily replacing CARP crewing with dedicated high reach appliance crewing.

Cons

• Moderate increase in second appliance response times in Greenock.

• 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) was temporarily withdrawn and replaced with a high reach appliance (HRA) in September 2023; AND
• Introduce a new 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 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.
• Makes permanent the essential saving achieved in 2023 by replacing a CARP with a dedicated high reach appliance.
• Enables Greenock to support Gourock with daytime incident responses and community safety work.

Cons

• Moderate increase in second appliance response times into the Greenock operational response area.
• Moderate increase in first appliance response times outside of day shift hours in the Port Glasgow area.