Establishment 2000

The Staff are split over four watches (Red, Blue, Green and White) working 2 days, 2 nights and 4 days off.
Water Tenders are normally manned 5 and 4 and the Aerial is manned by 2.

2011 the Water Tender Ladders are manned 5 an 4 with the CARP manned 4. If the Control Unit is required two from the CARP man it and the remaining two man the CARP as an aerial only.

DUNFERMLINE’S NEW FIRE STATION 

In pursuance of their scheme to reorganise the fire brigade, Dunfermline Town Council last night approved a recommendation of the Public Lighting and Fire Brigade Committee to erect a new fire station on Corporation ground at Carnegie Street. In the lower part of the building there will be three engine bays, one of which may meantime be available for the accommodation of two Corporation  motor cars; workshops, hose tower, and office accommodation; and in the upper storeys six dwelling houses for the accommodation of the Firemaster, Deputy Firemaster, and four members of the brigade permanent staff. The estimated cost of the fire station is £7760. Recently the Council purchased a new fire engine.
(The Scotsman, January 9, 1934, page 7)

NEW FIRE STATION

BUILDING AND EQUIPMENT DESCRIBED

This week the finishing touches were given to the fire station, one of the most important Dunfermline municipal enterprises of recent years. Arrangements have been made for a formal opening ceremony on Wednesday afternoon. A visit which a Dunfermline Press representative paid to the station in Carnegie Street on Wednesday induced an early impression, which was confirmed later by a description of the details by Mr James Shearer, the architect, that Dunfermline is now equipped with firefighting facilities which place the city far ahead, in that respect, of any other provincial town in Scotland. A further general impression formed was that, for the expenditure estimated at over £11,000, the city had been provided with a fire extinguishing service which has all the appearance of having involved a much greater cost.

In it’s general plan, the fire station and equipment resulted from observations by members of the Town Council and the architect on the occasion of a number of visits to fire stations in several Scottish towns, and the completed undertaking may be regarded as a fairly representative embodiment of the improvements suggested by these visits. Architecturally, the building is severely utilitarian, the Dunfermline Burgh seal, carved in low relief over the main entrance door, being almost it’s only ornament. Externally, the lower walls have been finished in blue brick, the upper portions are in common brick covered in white-washed roughcast, and the exposed stone dressings are of Northumberland stone.

THE NERVE CENTRE.

A chamber styled the watch room at the west side of the building on the ground floor may be described as the nerve centre of the station activities. In this chamber is installed the whole fire alarm control apparatus. By the pressure of a single button on the switchboard, it is possible to notify the whole of the members of the brigade staff  resident at headquarters or in any part of the town, and the apparatus is so devised that any individual fireman may be summoned. The pressure of the button serves other important purposes, for it’s effect is not only to switch on the whole of the lights in the station, but to ring a bell in the bedrooms of each of the resident firemen upstairs, and simultaneously switch on an electric light in the rooms. The button pressure also operates the siren at the top of the hose tower. The apparatus, moreover, may be controlled from the bedroom of the Firemaster, and at the front entrance door to the station there has been fitted a push, with glass front, the breaking of which by any member of the community would immediately cause an assemblage of the fire brigade in the event of an overnight outbreak of fire. Dwelling house accommodation has been provided for the Firemaster, Deputy Firemaster, and four firemen, on the first and second floors. Besides being accessible from the fire engine room, the watchroom is in direct communication with Carnegie Street from the front entrance passage, from which it is divided by a glass screen and counter. Adjoining to the front public entrance door is the Firemaster’s office, from which a door opposite communicates with the engine room. From the front entrance passage there is a private stairway leading to the Firemaster’s dwelling house.

MECHANICALLY OPENED DOORS.

A feature of the general plan is the elimination of all unnecessary doors and other obstacles to expeditious service. All the passages are open, and a central apartment on the ground floor is the fire station proper. There is accommodation for three engines, or alternatively, two engines and a fire escape. Three main doors are provided for the exit and entrance to the fire engine room. Each door, eleven feet square overall, is divided into four leaves, which are operated by an ingenious device which, by the simple pulling of a rope, throws open the doors simultaneously with the setting in motion of the mechanism of the fire engine. An important feature of the engine room is the maintenance of an even temperature, which is essential for the radiators of the engines. The heating is by means of Ratrads, a flat heating patent device, which distributes the heat and is so installed as to be almost invisible. The engine room itself is finished in a scheme of coloured terazzo divided into panels by ebony strips. At the east end of the engine room there has been provided a large recreation room for use by the firemen during off-duty periods. The room has been made large enough for a billiards table, but so far, the Town Council have not decided that billiards is to form part of the recreation of the firefighters during their spare time.

THE HOSE TOWER AND SIREN

It would seem that the much criticised hose tower is, after all, an important and necessary part of the fire station. Rising to a height of about seventy five feet from the pavement, the tower is seven feet square, built of brick and harled. Meantime, it has been equipped to contain thirteen 100 feet lengths of hose, which may be thoroughly dried at one time, although that capacity is capable of being doubled. Particular attention has been devoted to the problem of keeping the hose and the rope attachment separate, the risk of entanglement and the hampering of speedy manipulation being avoided. In the north elevation, the tower has windows, each with a landing behind, iron ladder runs the whole length of the tower to the flagstaff on the roof. With regard to the siren, which, in due course, will be placed on the summit of then tower, experiments have been made to decide the style  and capacity of the “hooter”. In recent months, a good deal of attention has been devoted to the probable duties which Firemasters may have devolving upon them during air raids in wartime. In the matter of precautions and warnings of air invasion, the Firemaster may conceivably become an important personage in a community, apart from discharging his normal duties, and the siren to be provided at the Dunfermline station will be designed in order to meet with such a contingency as well as to sound alarms on the occasions of outbreaks of fire.

FIREMEN’S ACCOMMODATION

From the first and second floors where the fireman’s quarters are situated, polished and steel poles have been provided upon which, in order to save time involved in descending by the stairways, the firemen will slide down to the fire engine room when the alarms of fire are sounded in the night time. One of these poles is 24 feet in height and the other is 33feet. At the base of each of the poles, a thick sponge rubber mat is utilised to soften the rapid contact which the descending firemen will have with terra firma. Entrance to the firemen’s houses, which are of three and four rooms with modern conveniences, is by lane at the east side of the station. Innovations for houses reached by inside stairs as these houses are, are the provision of a spacious chamber on the street level foe the children’s perambulators and go-cars, household refuse shoots down which the refuse is projected in a dust proof apparatus to the chamber on the ground floor, iron hoppers for storing household coal, and a flat roof surrounded by a five feet parapet wall and guard rail, which may serve the double purpose of drying “green”, and a place of amusement for the children in warm weather.
There is, on the ground level, up to date toilet accommodation for the firemen on duty, an appliance room, a drying room for clothing, and a store room. There is a central courtyard admirably suited for fire drill, and an important adjunct to the station is a group of workshops, consisting of blacksmiths’, fitters’, joiners’, and painters’ workshops.

THE CONTRACTORS

As already stated, Mr James Shearer, Dunfermline was the architect of the building. In the earlier stages of the construction, the clerk of works was Mr Macdonald, who is now in charge of one of the Council housing schemes; and latterly, the supervision was undertaken by Mr C. R. Simpson. Mr John G. Hardie, Dunfermline, was measurer. The heating and electrical work was carried out under the supervision of Mr S. J. Conner, consulting engineer, Glasgow. The principal contractors were:- Builder, David Anderson, Crossford; joiner, Renton & Culbert, Dunfermline; plumber, A. Thomson & Co., Dunfermline; plasterer, D. Kirk & Sons, Dunfermline; roughcast, John Robertson & Sons, Dunfermline; reinforced concrete, Fram, Ltd., Glasgow and London; carving work, Andrew Murdoch, Kirkcaldy; heating, Charles Ritchie & Co., Edinburgh; electrical plant, Miller & Stables, Dunfermline; fire station door apparatus, Thomas McDougall & Co., Glasgow; tile and terazzo work, Allan & Sons, Piershill, Edinburgh; painter, Andrew Wardlaw, Dunfermline; fire-grates, Coull & Matthew, Dunfermline; ironmongery, James Bonnar & Sons, Dunfermline.
(The Dunfermline Press, Saturday April 11, 1936. Page 6.)

HEADING?

<PHOTO> of the station by J. A. Kirkhope.
Dunfermline’s new fire station in Carnegie Street, erected at a cost of over £11,000, was opened with some ceremonial on Wednesday afternoon. At the main entrance to the station, the Provost, Magistrates, Town Councillors, and officials, accompanied by specially invited guests, assembled at three o’clock. The outside proceedings, witnessed by a large concourse of spectators, who stood in Carnegie Street, were brief. There, Mr James Shearer, architect of the building, presented Provost McKay, on behalf of the measurer, contractors, and himself, with a silver key and a silver cigarette casket as souvenirs of the occasion, after which the Provost opened the main door, through which those invited to the ceremony passed into the fire engine room.
Among those present, in addition to Dunfermline Town Council and officials, were members of Dunfermline District Council and officials, the Provosts and Town Clerks of Cowdenbeath, Inverkeithing, and Lochgelly, Sir James Norval and Lady Norval the Firemasters of Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee, Falkirk, Buckhaven, Paisley, with the Conveners of the Fire Brigade Committees of these cities and towns.
Ex-Bailie George Wright, Convener of the Fife Engine and Lighting Committee of Dunfermline Town Council, presided. He said he hoped that the people of Dunfermline would agree that the Town Council had been wise in their day and generation in providing such a station, which would meet requirements for a considerable number of years, although he hoped they would not have many serious fires. He extended a cordial welcome to the company which had assembled for the ceremony, and in calling upon Provost McKay to open the building, and mentioning that the building cost £11,000, and a new fire engine, recently purchased, cost £1240, he remarked that it was best to prevent fires, and when outbreaks occurred they desired to have them extinguished before they had time to spread. He hoped that the properties in Dunfermline would he well protected by the fire services from the new station. (Applause)

THE PROVOST’S SPEECH.

Provost McKay, declaring the station open, said that several of the buildings provided by the Town Council for the public services fifty or sixty years ago had become inadequate. Whether they liked it or not, the Town Council were faced with the necessity of providing a number of new buildings in order to carry on the public work of the city. There was nothing surprising about that. Dunfermline and the Council work of Dunfermline were a good deal different now from what they were two generations ago, and it was their duty, as well as their desire, to move with the times. The interruption of many things by the Great War and by the ensuing economic disturbances had caused some desirable new projects to be held up, and they had to devote a great deal of time and attention and money to the clamant needs for housing and for road improvements. But the ordinary burgh services could not be neglected, and he was glad that during the last few years the Town Council had tackled the re-equipment of their Fire Brigade. As a result of the attention given to the matter by the Committee, and as a result of the Firemaster's knowledge and enthusiasm, end of the architect’s skill and supervision, they had the pleasure to see now completed that new Fire Station, which he had the honour and the happiness to declare open. (Applause) It was a building of modern type, worthy of the town and well designed for the purposes which it was intended to fulfil. It would last for a long period of years; and he was confident that future generations would give them credit for foresight in building and equipping such an excellent Fire Station. The construction of that new building had given a considerable amount of employment in a number of trades, and it had added six good new houses to the supply in the town, for which there was such a large demand. It had released for other works departments of the Corporation the old premises in Campbell Street, and he could assure them that the accommodation made available there was very much required.

THANKS TO ARCHITECT AND CONTRACTORS.

He felt that he could not sufficiently compliment Mr Shearer, the architect, upon the way in which he had planned the building and looked after its construction. (Applause.) The handsome and modern exterior made it a feature of the town; and they would find as they went round the interior that everything had been carefully studied, and that they had really received a job which was as nearly perfect as could be. They would also notice if they looked carefully that every reasonable economy had been observed without sacrificing efficiency, quality, and provision for future developments.
He would also like to commend to their attention the excellent quality of the workmanship. In its nature a modern Fire Station was a unique kind of building, calling for the utmost skill on the part of the contractors, foremen, and workmen; and he was proud to think that the work on that station had been so well done in Dunfermline. They would all join with him in complimenting the contractors, foremen, and workmen, who had all done their excellent parts on that job. (Applause.)

FIREMASTER'S ENTHUSIASM.

He wished also to congratulate Mr Craig, the Burgh Firemaster, upon the completion of a project which he had had very much at heart. (Applause.) Mr Craig came to them a few years ago from Edinburgh Fire Brigade with very high professional qualifications. Throughout the whole course of consideration, planning, and execution of the work, he had constantly been at hand with his expert knowledge, and he had been most helpful to everyone concerned. Mr Craig was entitled to a great deal of credit, and he (the Provost) hoped that he and the members of the Brigade might find every convenience in the new Fire Station for efficiently carrying out their duties.
In conclusion, he asked the company to bear tribute to the Conveners of the Committee who had devoted themselves to seeing the matter carried out. He referred particularly to the late Councillor James McSkimming, whose untimely death had been a grief to all his colleagues. Mr McSkimming was an enthusiast for efficiency in all the public services, and he was impressed with the need for up-to-date protection of the many valuable buildings and of the numerous homes and business premises in Dunfermline. His (the Provost’s) old and esteemed friend, ex-Bailie Wright succeeded Mr McSkimming as Convener, and so far as his health had permitted he had given close attention to that piece of municipal business. He wished to express public recognition and thanks to the ex-Bailie.

A REALISTIC DEMONSTRATION.

A realistic demonstration of the Fire Brigade “in action” was given immediately after the opening ceremony. The Provost entered the Watch Room and gave the first alarm, and, at the sound of the bell, the firemen slid down the poles into the engine-room, put on their equipment, mounted the engines, and turned out from the station – all of which was accomplished in the remarkably short space of 23 seconds. The firemen were heartily applauded on their smart performance.
On their return they gave a demonstration of fire drill in the yard at the rear of the station, under time direction of Firemaster Craig. Both fire engines were brought into use, and the men gave a thrilling display of scaling a building by means of extension ladders, and running up lines of hose to considerable heights. Another touch of realism was an “outbreak” in the cellars of the Fire Station, from which smoke was seen to be issuing, This necessitated the use of smoke helmets, and two of the firemen who were “overcome” were rescued by their comrades and received first-aid treatment. Another “rescue” was even more spectacular, one of the firemen jumping from a window of the hose tower into a canvas sheet held by other members of the Brigade. Hoses were also brought into action, and in this, as in every other part of their drill, the firemen showed a high degree of efficiency.
The Provost, congratulating Firemaster Craig and the men on their demonstration, said that the Town Council were proud of them and they were convinced that they had chosen the right men. They had now got the equipment and he was sure that they would do for the community all that the people expected of them. He wished them all good luck. (Applause.)
(The Dunfermline Press, Saturday, 18^th April, 1936. Page 3.)

FIREMEN ANSWER FINAL CALL-OUT

After as many years in the town as anyone can remember, Dunfermline’s Retained Firemen were made redundant earlier this year and on Friday they held a farewell dinner.
To add to the occasion, Mr Jack Harrison (centre right) – who boasts 34 years with the Service – was the subject of a surprise presentation.
Divisional Officer Neil Inglis handed over a camera, on behalf of his colleagues, to mark Mr Harrison’s long service.

Last time

The dinner, held in Dunfermline Railway Club, was organised by the local retained crewmen, along with the Fife Fire brigade’s Recreation Club, and could be the last time all of the Dunfermline Station’s retained men will be together.
Divisional Officer Inglis’ speech was supplemented by a few words from Mr Douglas Thomson who retired as a Retained Fireman last year, with 33 years’ service.
Jack Harrison can remember every major fire in West Fife since the War – for he helped to put them out.
That kind of experience earned the respect of his colleagues in the Dunfermline retained crew and merited his special presentation on Friday.
And Friday’s dinner provided the opportunity – possibly the last – for some time worn tales to be swapped.
Jack (58), 20 Thistle Street, Dunfermline has one or two of his own to tell.
Among them was the story of the night that the Regal cinema, in Dunfermline went up in smoke, taking the neighbouring, St. Paul’s Parish Church with it.
Jack recalls being a little bit too close for comfort when the church burst into flames “like a Chinese lantern”.
His experience in the building trade and of roofs in particular – he had the local firm of Harrison & duff, slaters – often meant that he was first choice for roof scaling jobs.

Vain bid

On the night of the Regal fire, he was on of the men posted on the church roof in a vain attempt to save the building.
“The Regal itself was not so much of a loss because it was empty anyway, but the church was a bad loss”, he recalled.
“We were on the roof and we were pulled out just before it went up. It was like a Chinese lantern. Then the whole roof collapsed.”
In the early days of the Retained Firemen in Dunfermline, Jack recalled, the men had to use bicycles to make the dash to the station.
“We were given seven minutes to get to the station which was pretty tough going, if you were at the other end of the town. But in those days they were pleased to see you, no matter when you turned up.”
In later days, however, the seven minute rule was stuck to stringently.
“I’ve seen days when the traffic was so bad that I dumped my car and ran the rest of the way,” said Jack.
Perhaps the forgotten role in the saga of Dunfermline station’s retained crew is that of the Men’s wives.
Until a few years ago, the crew would be called out by a siren during the day and by bells in their individual houses at night. As a result, their wives always knew that their husband had been called out to a fire.
However, the introduction of electronic pagers, they often had no way of knowing that their husbands had been called out.

Tuning in

“They would tune into the radio and listen to establish if there was a fire somewhere,” said Jack.
Asked if there was any particular fire, of all those he had attended, which stuck in his mind, Jack responded with the St Margaret’s Hall blaze of 1961.
“That was one of the best jobs we did, because we managed to save the Library next door,” he explained
“Windows across the street were cracked because of the heat but the library was saved. Just think of the treasure in there which could have been completely destroyed.”
Now, with the upgrading of the new Lochgelly Fire Station, Fire Fire brigade sees no further need for retained crews and those in Dunfermline, Cowdenbeath and Lochgelly have been stood down.
“I was due to retire anyway,” explained Jack, “but that decision came as a bitter disappointment to some of the men.”
“Naturally, I will miss the job, I thoroughly enjoyed my time on the crew.”
(The Dunfermline Press, Friday April 9, 1982. Page 15.)

The above article will need to be checked at Dunfermline library as the photo copy is rather blurred.

FIRE STATION

1936
The Fire Station in Carnegie Street was built for the Dunfermline Town Council as a replacement for the old Fire Station in Campbell Street which only had space for one machine. When this machine was purchased and delivered, it was discovered that it was too tall to go into the Old Fire Station with its ladder on and the ladder had to be removed each time before the engine could be garaged, and them fitted to the engine again on the next call out. The building was designed by James Shearer and was built by David Anderson & Son. It cost over £11,000 and it consisted of a Control Room, Fire Engine room for 3 engines and a recreation room on the ground floor, Firemaster’s flat and flats for firemen and their families on the first and second floors. There was high tower for drying hoses and for ladder practice, workshops and courtyard. A siren was installed to call retained (part time) firemen to the station when required. The building was opened by Provost McKay on 15^th April 1936.
1983
New fire station proposed, several sites considered.
1984
Delay in building new fire station.
1985
Plans for new fire station abandoned. Decision made to refurbish existing fire station submitted and passed despite opposition from traders in Carnegie Drive.
1986/87
Renovation and modernisation carried out at a cost of £900,000. A ridge roof was added to combat the flat roof problems which had existed and the parapets were raised to hide the ridge roof from street level, thus retaining the original appearance of the building. The engine room was extended by 20 ft to accommodate longer engines which had been purchased and additional ground to the west of the station was acquired. The first and second floor were converted from flats into offices and night shift accommodation. While the work was being carried out The fire engines and staff were transferred to Dunfermline Police Station. The fire brigade returned to its base on 27^th May 1987.

News release
For Immediate Issue. No date.
The new station at Pitreavie will cost £3.5 million to build and will represent the largest ever capital investment project for Fife Fire and Rescue Service. As with any new build there are significant costs involved. Chief Fire Officer Mr O’Donnell stated that:
“The proposed station represents a significant investment for our staff and the residents in West Fife in both the building itself and the appliances housed there. A new combined Aerial Rescue Pump is proposed which would be the first in Fife and one of the first in Scotland outside Strathclyde, where evidence has suggested that this type of appliance is used more often than the current height appliance in carrying out rescues. The net effect is that the west of Fife will have the fire cover it deserves for the 21^st Century”. He went on to say that the new Police, Fire and Safety Committee fully endorsed these proposals at their meeting on 31^st August 2007.
At the same meeting the Committee also agreed to the Chiefs proposals for a new response standard for attending incidents. The old standards, based on property risk were abolished in April 2005, leaving fire authorities to develop standards in line with their integrated risk management plans (IRMP’s). Fife Fire and Rescue Service are the first in Scotland to set a new standard based on their IRMP, which compares favourably with those metropolitan Services in England who have set similar standards. This commits the Service to having one appliance in attendance at an incident within 10 minutes on 90% of occasions and the second appliance in attendance within 12 minutes on 95% of occasions. It was also agreed for Road Traffic Collisions that one appliance would be in attendance within 10 minutes on 80% of occasions.
The principal way in which the service saves life is through education, the historic role of the Fire Service turning up at a fire has reduced as our education programmes have started to take effect. This is apparent in last year’s fire statistics with an 11% reduction in fires and the lowest number of fire deaths for many years as reported in CFO O’Donnell’s Annual Report.
In terms of location this site gives good access to all parts of Dunfermline and Rosyth and also to Dalgety Bay, Inverkeithing, North Queensferry and the west Fife villages. There is an excellent road infrastructure giving good access to local distributor roads, main arterial routes and the motorway.
Full consultation with West Fife community council representatives took place on 31^st May, and Inverkeithing Community Council on 10^th July.
With regards the removal of the beds and the lack of a dormitory, the proposals for the new fire station are commensurate with modern work practice and future needs of the Service. The provision of beds and dormitories date back to pre-war conditions where firefighters were on duty for periods in excess of ninety hours per week. Fife Fire & Rescue Service will maintain appropriate rest facilities commensurate with the current 42 hour working week. The lecture room will be provided with reclining chairs already in use in other Fire and Rescue Services for personnel to use in their stand down time.
The draft proposals for the new station include kitchen and dining facilities. Historically Fife Fire & Rescue Service provided cooks at all whole-time stations. To ensure best value and to manage the budget effectively a decision was taken by the management team after a full review to discontinue providing subsidised catering on the stations. The review highlighted that less than 50% of operational staff took advantage of the subsidised catering. The cost to the Service was running at £80,000 per annum. As from 1^st October 2007 there will be no cooks on whole-time stations.
The function and requirement of the Emergency Tender based at Lochgelly fire station and the Emergency Support Unit based at Rosyth fire station are currently under review. The Service Management Team are awaiting both these reports before any decisions will be made on location and use of vehicles.
All 21 front line appliances in Fife are equipped with the latest equipment to deal with road traffic collisions. Our staff who crew these appliances are trained to the highest standards in the use and operation of the equipment as well as the operational procedures required to ensure that the residents of Fife receive a high quality service delivery.
(Fife Fire and Rescue Service press release.)

Property Update— Ignite.
The Chiefs recommendation that a new station should be built at Pitreavie and that the existing stations at Dunfermline and Rosyth be closed was approved by the Community Safety Committee in January this year.
Since that time a Project Board, Project Team and Focus Group have been formed to oversee the design and construction of the station and a site at Pitreavie Business Park has been acquired for development.
Approval to develop the land was received on the 11th July and since that time the site has been cleared and a topographical survey has been completed. Currently an intrusive survey of the site is underway to determine the geological composition of the soil and bedrock which will determine the foundation structure for the station.
Ongoing activities relating to the station design include consultations with Fife Fire & Rescue Service regarding room, office and work area layouts and similar consultation exercises with outside agencies regarding the technical aspects of the project.
Production of the final working drawings and information is scheduled for completion in April 2008 and construction of the station starting in September 2008.
The construction period is estimated at between 56—65 weeks.
(Fife Fire and Rescue Service article.)

Fife Fire and Rescue Service
“making our Communities safe”

Dunfermline Fire Station

OFFICIAL OPENING 

By Fergus Ewing, Minister for Community Safety
Tuesday 13th April 2010 at 1100 hours 

Order of Proceedings

1100 hours: 

Arrival of Fergus Ewing MSP; will be welcomed by CFO Jimmy Campbell 

GM Bob Paterson will welcome Fergus Ewing MSP, and then deliver an introduction to today’s event to the assembled guests in the appliance room. 

CFO Jimmy Campbell will deliver a speech to mark the official opening of Dunfermline Fire Station. 

CFO Jimmy Campbell will invite Fergus Ewing MSP to make a speech to mark the official opening of Dunfermline Fire Station and to unveil the plaque. 

CFO Jimmy Campbell will give a vote of thanks to Fergus Ewing MSP. 

Guided tour of the station, where guest will have the opportunity to view first hand the excellent facility. 

Demonstration of the Aerial Rescue Pump at work. 

Demonstration of the Command and Control Vehicle. 

The Minister, CFO Campbell and selected guests will be directed by Susan Kerr to the selected location(s) for a photo opportunity and media briefing. 

CFO Campbell will accompany the Minister to the community use room where a buffet lunch will be served. 

SM Ferguson and SM Brocklebank will accompany all other guests to the community use room where a buffet lunch will be served.

1230 hours: - END

HISTORY OF DUNFERMLINE FIRE STATION 

Dunfermline is a large city in the West of Fife. It is located on high ground 5 miles (8.0 km) from the northern shore of the Firth of Forth on the route of major road and rail crossings across the River Forth to Edinburgh and the South. Dunfermline has a population of 45,462, making this the second largest settlement in Fife. The town also falls under the wider Dunfermline and West Fife Local Plan area which has an overall total population of around 62,477.
Dunfermline was a capital of Scotland, being an ancient seat of the kingdom’s Royal Court and an important ecclesiastical centre. Its former abbey, now a parish church, is the burial place for many in the country’s line of monarchs including Robert I and Saint Margaret. Ruins of the former abbey infrastructure today include the remains of the Royal Palace of Dunfermline, birthplace of Charles I, and are an important tourist attraction.
In modem times, the most famous son of Dunfermline was the wealthy industrialist, businessman, and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. He was the central figure in promoting its early 20th century urban renewal and his financial legacy is still of major importance.
The original Dunfermline Fire Station was located in the heart of Dunfermline     on Carnegie Drive. The Station was built to a design by James Shearer in 1936. It was renovated and modernised in 1986 and covered a large mobilising area which included 29,987 domestic properties and 1,728 non domestic properties. The Station housed two fire engines and an aerial ladder platform and in the period 1st April 2008 to 31st March 2009, the station responded to 798 emergency calls
The establishment for Dunfermline Fire Station was 60 full time fire fighting personnel who provided cover 24/7 cover 365 days a year. The Station was also occupied with additional staff who provided Community Safety, administration and managerial functions.
Personnel from Dunfermline Fire Station continue to promote Fire Safety to the communities of Dunfermline and West Fife. Primarily this has been through a targeted program of Home Fire Safety Checks, with the emphasis being on those most at risk.
Personnel are also actively involved in our schools education program, carrying out visits to primary 2 and primary 6 children in all primary schools in Dunfermline and West Fife and informing the pupils of the dangers of hoax calls, secondary fires and general home fire safety.

HISTORY OF ROSYTH FIRE STATION 

Rosyth is located on the Firth of Forth, three miles south of the centre of Dunfermline and has a population of approximately 12,865.
The area is best known for its large dockyard, formerly the Royal Naval Dockyard Rosyth, construction of which began in 1909. The town was planned as a garden city with accommodation for the construction workers and dockyard workers. The dockyard became the very first in the Royal Navy to be privatised when Babcock International acquired the site in 1987. The privatisation followed almost a century of contribution to the defense of the United Kingdom. As well as continuous on going repairs and refits for the Royal Navy, the dockyard is also the site for final assembly of the two Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers which is due to start in 2011. The port also has the only direct ferry service to the European mainland from Scotland.
Scottish Enterprise Fife is working in partnership with various private sector organisations to explore the future development of Rosyth. The agency is looking at ways to expand the ferry services to other European and domestic ports. It also wants to help create new business infrastructure in and around Rosyth.
Rosyth Fire Station covers an area of 53.07km2 with a population of 34,256. It has provided the communities of South West Fife, since its opening in 1976, with a first class service 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year. Recently personnel from Rosyth Fire Station have delivered Fire Safety advice to the communities of Rosyth and West Fife. Primarily this has been through a targeted program of Home Fire Safety Checks, with the emphasis being on those most at risk. A recent initiative has emphasised Home Fire Safety Checks to the villages of West Fife.
Crews have also been actively involved in the schools education program, carrying out visits to local schools to talk to young people about general home fire safety, secondary fires, and other fire related anti social behaviour issues.
Prior to the school summer holidays as part of an initiative to reduce secondary fires, all primary 7 pupils in the Station area received a visit from crews to educate the them in the problems that the increase in fire calls over the summer period can cause the Fire Service.
In the lead up to the Bonfire period, in conjunction with our other Community Safety partners, a coordinated program was put in place to target both primary and secondary schools in the hot spot areas where, historically, the Service had experienced an increase in the numbers of bonfires and secondary fires. Crews visited all primary 5-7 and S1-S4 children to educate them in the dangers of fireworks and bonfires. This was supported by a poster competition in which the children were encouraged to design a poster to support the Bonfire campaign.
Intervention personnel from Rosyth have trained regularly with other agencies, and with other FFRS personnel; continuing to improve their level of skills and response to the identified areas of high risk. Tactical information plans have also been produced as part of an ongoing programme to increase the safety of firefighters and members of the public, in a range of premises within the station area.
The Station personnel moved to new premises located at Pitreavie Industrial Estate on March 24^th 2010. 

THE NEW DUNFERMLINE FIRE STATION 

A paper outlining the need to relocate the Dunfermline and Rosyth Fire Stations was submitted to the Community Safety Committee (CSC) in April, 2006. A further report was discussed in January, 2007 and the CSC agreed with the Chief Fire Officer’s recommendations to close both Stations and open a new Station at Pitreavie, land was subsequently purchased at Pitreavie at a cost of £300,000
The key reason for building a new Fire Station for West Fife was that the existing Station built in 1935 was no longer fit for purpose and would require major capital investment for refurbishment/reconstruction to make it fit for the 21st Century. The last time it was refurbished was in 1986 at a cost of £900,000
A project board was set up in February 2007 to manage the project under the chairmanship of the then DCFO Forbes Catto followed by Neil McFarlane supported by a dedicated Project Manager. Throughout the project a great deal of effort has been made to involve staff in the design and fitting out of the station. A number of task and finish groups have looked at various aspects of the project to ensure that the building is fit for its job and is a comfortable place to work
The design team for the building was led by Chris Lockhart of Property Services of Fife Council, who brought to life the vision that FFRS had for a new station and have managed the build project on behalf of FFRS through to handover.
The Contract to build the station was awarded to Hadden Construction in October 2008, work commenced on site and the building was handed over to FFRS in December 2009
Since December 2009 time has been spent in fitting out the building to make it into an operational fire station. Mobilising systems have been installed, an IT system has been devised which allows staff to carryout on line training in a dedicated IT suite, Audio visual equipment has been supplied in the lecture room as well as the community use facilities and furniture has been chosen to ensure a pleasant working environment.
The station went live as an operational station on Wednesday 24^th March 2010 on the same date the existing stations at Dunfermline and Rosyth were closed down.  

Guest List

                                                                                                Project Board
Police, Fire & Safety Committee members
                                                                                                Service Manager Finance Eileen Rowand
Cllr. Arthur Robertson                                                        Property Services Manager Iain Connelly
Cllr. Bob Eadie                                                                      Architect Chris Lockhart
(South West Fife Area Committee; Ward 6)                    Architect Technician Neil Wishart
Cllr. Dave Herbert                                                                Clerk of Works Bruce Watson
(South West Fife Area Committee; Ward 6)                    Scott Hadden, Hadden Construction
Cllr. George Kay
Cllr. Lizz Mogg                                                                     CFO Guests
(Dunfermline Area Committee; Ward 3)
Cllr William Ferguson                                                          Lord Lt Margaret Dean
(South West Fife Area Committee; Ward 1)                    Provost of Fife Frances Melville
Cllr. William Sangster                                                          Chief Constable Norma Graham
                                                                                                Lewis Campbell Scottish Ambulance Service
Dunfermline Area Committee                                          Firefighters Charity Andy Hunter
                                                                                                IFRA Chairperson David Kay
Cllr. Jim Burke (Ward 2)                                                      Linda Erskine, Unison
Cllr. Brian Goodall (Ward 4)                                               Gavin Barrie FBU Regional Treasurer
Cllr. David Mogg (Ward 2)                                 John Duffy FBU Regional Rep
Cllr. Joe Rosiejak (Ward 3)                                 Scott McCabe, FBU
Cllr. Dave Walker (Ward 4)                                                Phil Randall, FBU
Cllr. Mike Rumney (Ward 4)                                               Former Chair PFSC Andrew Keddie
Cllr. Willie Sullivan (Ward 3)                                              Former CFO Daniel O’Donnell
                                                                                                Former DCFO Forbes Catto
South West Fife Area Committee                                    Anne Gartshore Ops Manager Lloyds Group
                                                                                                (formerly HBOS)
Cllr. Pat Callaghan (Ward 5)                                               John McKeown from Somerfield
Cllr. Bobby Clelland (Ward 1)                                            Arthur Slack NARF
Cllr. Alice McGarry (Ward 6)                                             Jim Ross NARF
Cllr. Gerry McMullan (Ward 1)                                          Bob Stewart NARF
Cllr. William G Walker (Ward 1)                                         Bill Duff NARF
                                                                                                Susan Williams, Committee Co-ordinator
Ward I — West Fife & Coastal Villages                          Iain Matheson, Chief Legal Officer
Ward 2 — Dunfermline North                                            Mr Daniel O’Connell, Exxon Mobil,
Ward 3— Dunfermline Central                                          Mossmorran
Ward 4— Dunfermline South
Ward 5— Rosyth                                                                 Service Personnel
Ward 6— Inverkeithing & Dalgety Bay
                                                                                                CFO Jimmy Campbell
West Fife Villages Community Forum Chair                    DCFO Neil McFarlane
John Crane                                                                            AM Ken Moran
                                                                                                GM Bob Paterson
Scottish Parliament                                                            GM Lindsay Petrie
                                                                                                GM Alan Robertson
Fergus Ewing MSP                                                              GM Alex Smart
Stuart Neill (Ministers official)                                           SM Colin Ferguson
Karen McKeown (Minster’s private secretary)              SM Ian Brocklebank
Jim Tolson MSP — Liberal Democrats                             CM Alan Dobbin
Helen Eadie MSP                                                                 CM Norrie Henderson
                                                                                                Nigel Buchanan
Scottish Executive                                                               Derek Lowe
                                                                                                Margaret Lowe
Brian Fraser QFSM MIFireE                                               Susan Kerr
Andrew Flemming
Robert Skeys                                                                        White Watch Dunfermline
Diane Lovie

If you know of any mistakes in this or have any additional information please let me know.