'This is not just about staff changes, this is about safety; this is about response times, this is about saving lives...'
Crew commander makes impassioned plea to retain immediate 24/7 cover at Hawick Fire Station
Last updated 26th Jun 2025
A petition's been launched to stop the loss of immediate round-the-clock cover at Hawick Fire Station amid concerns it could lead to longer response times and cost lives.
It's already received the support of more than a hundred people who attended a public meeting in the Town Hall last night (Wednesday).
Scottish Borders Council is today also being asked to support a motion seeking urgent talks with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service over its plans to move to an on-call system at nights and weekends.
It comes as a three-month public consultation gets underway on the future of the service.
WATCH: Click on the link below to view the opening speech from the public meeting...
Local crew commander Greg McLeod told the audience: "This is not just about staff changes, this is about safety; this is about response times, this is about saving lives.
"Every second counts in an emergency, every minute matters; when a house is burning, when someone is trapped, and when lives hang in the balance.
"A fire doesn't wait until morning, a car crash doesn't wait until the next shift starts, and emergencies do not run on a schedule... neither should our fire service.
"Under the proposed day-shift duty system, we will lose the immediate round-the-clock-coverage that our trained firefighters currently provide.
"Instead we will rely on a slower system after hours, as personnel make their way from their homes - especially in Hawick, when temporary traffic lights are in place, we all know how bad this can be. A system that could mean the difference between life and death."
And he added: "Make no mistake, this isn't just Hawick. If this happens here it sets a dangerous precedent for other communities across Scotland. We must not be the test case, we must be the turning point."
The fire service - which says it's trying to balance resources with demand - will hold a public consultation in Hawick Town Hall, between 6pm and 8pm, on August 19th.
Across Scotland, 13 fire stations are facing closure as part of the review, which could also see the creation of a new nucleus unit in Galashiels.
Speaking at a recent fire board meeting, Deputy Assistant Chief Officer Andrew Girrity said: “I absolutely recognise the emotive subject and how staff are feeling and their perceptions. I don’t think we will compromise emergency response, we’ll still have an emergency response that matches similar areas with community risk and demand.
“I recognise it will increase response times, absolutely, I’m not going to lie it will increase response times but I don’t agree that we will be putting lives at risk. I don’t agree with that.”
The fire service has stressed that there would not be a reduction in the overall number of staff if the planned changes go-ahead, although it's claimed as many as 19 staff could be redeployed locally.
Will Roberts, secretary of Denholm and District Community Council, had a major fire at his home near Cavers last year. He told Greatest Hits Radio: "They were a little slow getting to me, but that's because of where I live - and where I choose to live; but they came as fast as they could. And I lost outhouses and windows and doors of the house."
But he added: "Had they been longer in their arrival, I'm absolutely certain I would have lost everything."
READ MORE: Alarm bells ring over future of fire station in Hawick as review recommends move to day shift system
Community council chairman Cameron Knox praised the turnout at last night's meeting, and revealed he owed his life to the fire service after being involved in a head-on crash on the A7.
"The only things I can remember is hearing the sirens and the fire engine coming, and I knew I was going to be safe," he recalled. "Unfortunately, I had to be cut out of the car, and the car was totally destroyed, but without them I wouldn't be here."
The public consultation can be accessed via firescotland.gov.uk
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