By Alan Richardson and Paul Reoch

A VOTE of no confidence in Tayside Fire and Rescue chiefs passed by firefighters at Perth station this week reflects a wider dissatisfaction among brigade members in the region, it was claimed yesterday.

Local FBU secretary Jim Malone said bosses should urgently address the needs of their staff, whose morale has reached “rock bottom.”

His comments come after Perth firefighters took their extraordinary step in a local meeting, amid claims proper equipment and training is being denied them.

The perceived crisis has come to a head after a dramatic River Tay rescue on Monday of last week in which a firefighter had to enter the fast-flowing water, against regulations, to pull out a woman who had leapt from Perth Bridge.

Although the woman was rescued, the firefighter himself almost lost his life and had to be treated for hypothermia in hospital.

Bitter colleagues were furious proper river rescue equipment was not available, according to Mr Malone.

He said despite some local firefighters being trained for them, regulations effectively forbid river rescues of that sort because of a grey area in the 2005 Fire Bill which gives no responsibility for them to the service.

Mr Malone said the issue is merely the “straw that has broken the camel’s back,” amid many other concerns, and has called for urgent meetings between management and the rank and file.

“The vote of no confidence was by the local branch but the feelings of anger are right through the organisation,” he said.

“All we are asking the Tayside Fire and Rescue management to give us are the tools and training to do our job properly, and that’s the source of the current anger.”

Mr Malone said Tayside is the only brigade that has kept staffing levels static since 1978, and said it is no coincidence local death statistics are bucking the national trend and actually rising. Recent figures show there have been more deaths in water than by fire in Perthshire.

Tayside’s deputy chief fire officer Jimmy Campbell said yesterday, “I am disappointed that the Fire Brigades Union has used this single incident as a platform to further their own particular objectives.

“This is a national issue. It can only effectively be addressed through a multi agency approach.

“Regarding the Fire Brigades Union’s comments that local death statistics are rising, I would point out that in the current reporting period from March 31, 2006, we have had two fire deaths.

“If that figure remains the same until the end of this month it will be our second lowest annual figure for the past 10 years and a 70% reduction on last year’s figure.”