In May 2023, SFRS announced a variety of cuts to it's front line service.

10 fire stations across Scotland will lose one of their fire appliances. In the majority of areas, this will reduce by 50%. Also included in these cuts is the removal of a number of high reach appliances, a vital resource, with no plan to replace them.

Hamilton fire station is one of those affected. A busy station within a densely populated area that continues to grow every year, it provides Fire and Rescue cover to the communities of Hamilton, Blantyre, Bothwell and Uddingston. That cover is planned to be reduced from 2 fire appliances to 1.

In effect, there will be between 15 and 20 jobs lost in this station alone. The loss of these firefighter jobs means those left will be overstretched to carry out all the requirements of their role within the community. This will put the safety of firefighters in Hamilton at great risk as they need to wait for support from surrounding stations. It also means that those surrounding station areas, including Bellshill, Motherwell and Larkhall will lose vital support they require at larger incidents. 

Budget cuts from the Scottish Government and the further savings we are having to make have culminated in this position where SFRS need £11million in savings every year going forward. If allowed to happen, this opens the door to these cuts and to a further 10 appliances being lost in the coming years to survive. 

We need your help to sign this petition to stop these dangerous cuts before they become a reality in September, which is only 12 weeks away. Please, please give us your support to continue protecting you community effectively. Thank you