Number of fire inspections in Scotland drop, says report
Fire prevention inspections in Scotland have fallen dramatically, according to figures from a financial auditing body.
Figures from the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy suggest the number of inspections have fallen by 71 per cent since 2001.
The Fire Brigade Union’s Scottish secretary, Kenny Ross described the figures as “shocking and deeply worrying”.
“There is no explanation how this can happen during a time when prevention is meant to have much more emphasis, not less,” he said
Whoever made the decision to cut back on inspections was “gambling with public safety”, he added.
But the chief inspector of the fire service in Scotland, Jeff Ord, said the inspection regime was now more focused than before, but the figures would be checked.
A spokesman for Lothian and Borders Fire Brigade said changes in legislation meant inspections were now targeted at premises that presented a greater risk to life in the event of a fire.
