Parliament Workbench

Petition · PE01511 · Session 4

Inverness Fire Service Control Room

Closed Submitted 31 Jan 2014 Justice
Signatures
0
830 online signatures with a country
Comments
120
Considered
16 meetings
in the Official Report

What it asks

Calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to review the decision made by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to close the Inverness Control Room.

What the petitioner did first

As there was no previous public consultations, the communities of the Highlands and Islands were never able to take any postive actions to help save the Inverness Fire Service Control Room/Centre.
I have also taken the opportunity to make the Justice Committee aware of both the facts that we wish to take this to petition and that there is a large FaceBook Campaign.
I have also contacted Local MSPs and Highland Counsellors.

Where it was considered

Official Report
  1. 22 Apr 2014
    Public Petitions Committee
    New Petitions
    1 mention
  2. 3 Jun 2014
    Public Petitions Committee
    Current Petitions
    1 mention
  3. 24 Jun 2014
    Justice Committee
    Petitions
    1 mention
  4. 4 Nov 2014
    Justice Committee
    Petitions
    1 mention
  5. 3 Feb 2015
    Justice Committee
    Petitions
    1 mention
  6. 21 Apr 2015
    Justice Committee
    Petitions
    1 mention
  7. 22 Sep 2015
    Justice Committee
    Petitions
    1 mention
  8. 29 Sep 2015
    Justice Committee
    Petitions
    1 mention
  9. 5 Jan 2016
    Justice Committee
    Petitions
    5 mentions
  10. 23 Feb 2016
    Justice Committee
    Petitions
    1 mention
  11. 27 Sep 2016
    Justice Committee
    Petitions
    1 mention
  12. 24 Jan 2017
    Justice Committee
    Petitions
    1 mention
  13. 2 May 2017
    Justice Committee
    Petitions
    1 mention
  14. 5 Sep 2017
    Justice Committee
    Petitions
    2 mentions
  15. 19 Dec 2017
    Justice Committee
    Petitions
    3 mentions
  16. 27 Mar 2018
    Justice Committee
    Petitions
    1 mention

Signatures by country

830 online signatures
  1. Scotland701 84.5%
  2. United Kingdom100 12%
  3. England11 1.3%
  4. New Zealand3 0.4%
  5. Canada2 0.2%
  6. Wales2 0.2%
  7. Ireland2 0.2%
  8. Northern Ireland2 0.2%
  9. Spain2 0.2%
  10. Qatar1 0.1%
  11. 4 other countries4 0.5%

Comments

120 comments, oldest first
120 comments · showing 1–50
  1. Lawrence Deans 18 Feb 2014
    I think local knowledge and the ability to understand local language accents is a very important reason for keeping local control rooms open
  2. Andy Gardiner 18 Feb 2014
    Local knowledge for local people
  3. Pauline. Bain 18 Feb 2014
    Too much at risk
  4. Lewis MacLennan 18 Feb 2014
    Save the Inverness Control Room and safeguard the Highlands and Islands.
  5. Karla Stevenson 18 Feb 2014
    Computers cannot replicate local knowledge or understand different dialects or pronunciations of place names. Local knowledge is vital for the safety of people in the highlands & islands!
  6. Debbie Nicol 18 Feb 2014
    Signed and shared.
  7. Lawrence Deans 18 Feb 2014
    I think local geographical knowledge and the ability to understand local language accents are vitally important in real time life saving operations. This knowledge and ability to translate information is lost with the closing of local control rooms.
  8. Andrew Dallas 18 Feb 2014
    Let's keep the Highlands safe and stop the relentless centralisation of the Fire Service in Scotland! Leave our Fire control where it belongs!
  9. Neil Ross 18 Feb 2014
    This service covers an area larger than Belgium, and with the longest coastline, highest mountains in Scotland, is a truly unique area which NEEDS its own control rooms.
  10. David Macartney 18 Feb 2014
    Scotland involves a lot more than just the central belt. Prove that everyone's safety matters and keep the control room open in Inverness!
  11. Shiona Martin 18 Feb 2014
    The Highlands and Islands are a geographical nightmare and that's only for those who have knowledge of the area, imagine the loss to lives if those handling the calls have 'NO' local geographical knowledge.
  12. Roger Binding 18 Feb 2014
    The loss of local knowledge will cause delays and increase the risk of injury and death to service users as soon as this badly thought out decision is implemented.
  13. Flora Sumerville 18 Feb 2014
    I don't believe that removing control from the Highlands will do anything but cost lives.
  14. colin coupar 18 Feb 2014
    Signed and shared.
  15. Mary Stewart 18 Feb 2014
    Local knowledge is vital for fast response times and the saving of lives
  16. Allan Morrison 18 Feb 2014
    Help protect the highlands and island s fire control fire fighters rely on getting to incident as quickly as possible inverness control room has all local knowledge required to get nearest appliance there
  17. Nicola McVean 18 Feb 2014
    Local knowledge is vital, save the Highlands Control Room.
  18. robina macgregor 18 Feb 2014
    Signed and will share
  19. Annelouise campbell 18 Feb 2014
    Signed & shared
  20. Fiona Jones 18 Feb 2014
    Local knowledge in a geographical area such as the Highlands is vital in providing an emergency service effectively.
  21. Christine Wood 18 Feb 2014
    It beggar's belief that this could even be considered. Weather conditions can affect computer signals
    - what happens then? Scotland is bigger than the Central belt though you'd never know it!
  22. derick murchison 18 Feb 2014
    I know first hand how rural this brigade is, HQ is based in the city. The population they look after is scattered over a very large area. Local knowledge is a must, not some far away control room (no disrespect). KEEP IT LOCAL,KEEP US SAFE.
  23. John campbell 18 Feb 2014
    Shared safe Inverness control room
  24. Alan Gowans 18 Feb 2014
    Local knowledge is so vital in this area,It cannot be replaced by having it stuck away down in Dundee!!!..The folk down there couldn't even pronounce some of the places properly!
  25. Jackie Mackenzie 18 Feb 2014
    The Highland and Island communities deserve the same access to a "tried and tested model" to quote SFRS managers as the Central belt does, Inverness Fire Control is a quality tried and tested model
    - leave it alone!
  26. Evelyn Stafford 18 Feb 2014
    Local knowledge is essential in situations where life is at risk and the person making the emergency call is in a highly agitated and excited state. Local dialects are also difficult to understand and are exaggerated even more on the phone. Vital time is lost trying to pin down where someone is. Once local knowledge and experience goes it cannot be replaced.
  27. Stuart Edwards 18 Feb 2014
    Save the Inverness control room it is the way forward.
  28. Sean cameron 18 Feb 2014
    It a must for the highlands & islands
  29. Dawn Maclennan 18 Feb 2014
    The Highlands and Islands cover a large area how is a computer going to understand place names and dialect. local knowledge is vital. Save our Control Rooms.
  30. Jim Macfarlane 18 Feb 2014
    It would be a disgrace if it were to close, the Highland & Islands needs the knowledge for the Firefighters to attend remote areas...
  31. Alexander Murray 18 Feb 2014
    Save the fire contolroom in inverness.if this contolroom should close it will cost lives.
  32. Paul Young 18 Feb 2014
    Stop centralising public service jobs. Jobs for the highlands.
  33. Nigel Newell 18 Feb 2014
    5 minutes to late because the operator does'nt know the area who's to blame...
  34. Ian Hallam 18 Feb 2014
    There is no way of having local knowledge of such a huge area when emergency services are being controlled from the central belt
  35. A J 18 Feb 2014
    Local knowledge and expertise are essential to ensure that both the communities living within the Highlands, and those millions that visit each year to experience some of the best scenery in the world are in safe hands.
  36. Ian Smith 18 Feb 2014
    The area and crews will struggle during busy periods, like the wildfire season.When through local knowledge and experience our control staff are able to move resources to where they are required. Rapport with local RDS crews will also be lost and goodwill from the crews stretched.
  37. Albert mcivor 18 Feb 2014
    Too not have a control room in Inverness which covers the same area size as Belgium geographically is absolutely ludicrous & disgraceful and seriously putting peoples lives at risk.Why they have to centralise 3 control rooms so close looks awfully a one sided decision.
  38. Eilidh Mckenzie 18 Feb 2014
    Signed and shared
  39. brian cameron 18 Feb 2014
    for the good of the highlands local knowledge can be a life saver
  40. james aird 18 Feb 2014
    Local Knowledge could save time and lives.
  41. Alastair Kelday 18 Feb 2014
    You can not beat many years of local knowledge. No computer system is capable of this.
  42. Shona Bain 18 Feb 2014
    Local knowledge of area vital when directing to an emergency.
  43. Julia McNeil 18 Feb 2014
    A disgrace to even think about closing Invernrss fire control
    - the knowledge and skills of these people save lives every day
    Keep it in the Highlands please
  44. Graham Mackenzie 18 Feb 2014
    Local knowledge crucial when lives are at risk.
  45. Laura Roy 18 Feb 2014
    Signed and shared,
  46. Mhairi Sturrock 18 Feb 2014
    We all know that the Highlands are complex with an abundance of minor roads all over, so, we need someone with great local knowlege!! Please, get signing this petition!!
  47. Ryan Raymond 18 Feb 2014
    Its not just the local knowledge that needs to stay up in Inverness its the people who work there, they do a great job directing the crews and giving them the information they need. They are like the mums and dad of the crews and to be able to speak to someone on the end of the radio makes the job a while lot easier! They are a vital part of our crews out in the field and the eyes and ears for us too. To get rid of Inverness will be like putting the crees up for adoption!!!!
  48. greig fleming 18 Feb 2014
    should leave valuable stations alone and leave whats best for the highlands and surrounding communities.
  49. Robert Scott Macleod 18 Feb 2014
    I have recently left the fire service within Inverness retained, and I would like to stress that the knowledge of the workers with regards to who to mobilise to certain insidents cannot be matched or taught. The entire area of the Highlands has now got a diminished service due to closures of stations that were supplying a valuable service. This has in my opinion put lives of Rural Highland residents at risk due to increased turn out times. This can and should be seriously debated and take the input of the residents to the debate .
  50. Karen Coltart 18 Feb 2014
    A very important part of our emergency services, cannot let this close