🚒 You spoke up for Helensburgh – We need your voice again

🚨 HELENSBURGH — WE NEED YOUR VOICE AGAIN

SFRS is now consulting on the Local Fire and Rescue Plan that will shape services in our area over the coming years.

And this matters.

The current Local Plan already recognises:

🚒 The challenges of Argyll & Bute’s geography and response distances
🚒 Pressure on recruitment, retention and availability of on-call firefighters
🚒 The need to strengthen community resilience and operational preparedness
🚒 The importance of improving the availability of operational resources

Yet despite all of that, SFRS has approved the removal of Helensburgh’s guaranteed wholetime fire cover at nights and weekends.

Their own modelling shows the median first-appliance response at those times increasing from 5:19 to 9:10 — an extra 3 minutes 51 seconds.

Now SFRS is asking communities what the next Local Fire and Rescue Plan should contain.

👉 Please take part in the consultation:
SFRS Draft Local Plan Consulation

Tell them what reliable local fire cover means to you.

Tell them whether reducing guaranteed cover strengthens resilience.

Tell them whether Helensburgh should become increasingly dependent on on-call availability.

And tell them what SFRS should be required to monitor as this change is implemented — including appliance availability and response times.

📅 Consultation closes midnight, Thursday 15 October 2026.

We made our views clear during the Service Delivery Review.

Now we need to make them clear again.

Please complete the consultation — and share this with everyone you know.

#SaveHelensburghFireStation
#Keep24HourCover