FIRE RAISERS PUT CITY UNDER SIEGE

Aug 17 2007 By, Stirling Observer

FIREBUGS are responsible for one fire a day in the Stirling area.

Shock figures show that, in just four months from April to August, crews in Stirling answered calls to 105 deliberate fires and a further 26 in rural towns and villages, where crews are often part-time or retained.

Bosses at Central Scotland Fire and Rescue Service say those figures are too high and warn that fire raisers are putting people’s lives at risk because they are too busy to attend accidental fires.

They called on people to take action to cut the chances of firebugs targeting their property and set out what they plan to do to curb the risks.

The Stirling Observer requested the figures after a Scottish Executive report showed that nationally 11 people had died because of malicious fires, which account for 73 per cent of fire service call-outs.

Locally many of the 131 call-outs to these blazes are grass fires or people setting fires to bins. Recently the brigade was called to a block of flats in Cornton when people in a third floor flat were unable to get out due to a bin fire in the close.

Chief fire officer Steven Torrie said: “Deliberate fire setting is a major concern for us.

“We are putting a great deal of effort into working with young people to reduce the threat caused by fire setting, helping them to understand the seriousness of their actions and the potential consequences.”

The fire service says that while it is answering these calls crucial minutes in answering a more serious call could be lost, particularly if the locations are distant from each other.

In a bid to cut these call-outs, the fire service says part of the answer lies in not storing bins in closes but storing and disposing of household waste more safely.

The service has found that a large number of these fires are set by young people. It has therefore become involved in a number of initiatives to educate young people about the risks.

A community safety team, backed by operational fire crews, visits children in primary and high schools to provide information on the dangers of fire. Lessons include how to prevent a fire at home and the dangers of fire setting.

Moves are also under way to bring a specifically designed training course to Stirling, aimed at young people who have been involved in fire setting.

Successful cadet schemes are run in Killin and Balfron, which the fire service says help youths to appreciate fire risks and the work done by fire crews.

A fire service spokesperson added: “Fire setting is a serious crime which carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Central Scotland Fire and Rescue Service works closely with the police in assisting in detection of this crime.

“We would urge people to think about the consequences of their actions.”

A spokesperson for Central Scotland Police said that in the same period 77 cases of wilful fire-raising were reported by its their officers. A further eight cases of culpable or reckless fire-raising were also reported.