Statistics released by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to the Scottish Conservatives has shown thatFire and Rescue response times in the Perth and Kinross Council area have increased.
Liz Smith, Scottish Conservative MSP for Mid Scotland & Fife said:
“Notwithstanding the fact that there is a very understandable reason why response times will be longer in rural communities compared to urban ones, there is a concern that the response time in the Perth and Kinross Council area is higher than it is in other areas with significant rural populations and more importantly that the response time increased between 2012-12 and 2013-14.
“Naturally, this is a major concern to local residents and one which needs to be urgently addressed. The Scottish Government was adamant that the new centralised Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (set up two years ago) would be more efficient but these statistics call that promise into question.
“It is now very important that new measures are put in place to improve response times to provide the public with a cast iron assurance that their safety will be enhanced not diminished.”