Emergency services / Mice in lockers and bird-fouled PPE among entries in two fire stations’ maintenance logs
HSE notices regarding welfare facilities have since been lifted at the Bressay and Walls stations, and investment is going towards new facilities for the Unst and Whalsay stations as well as the Sumburgh training area
MICE entering lockers and birds fouling equipment were reported in recent years at two Shetland fire stations which were given health and safety improvement notices.
A freedom of information request on maintenance work on Shetland’s fire stations shows that the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) was asked to carry out pest control works at the Bressay station in October 2024.
It said small birds and starlings were accessing the station and “fouling equipment and PPE [personal protective equipment]”. A request was made for any evident holes to be blocked up.
There were also issues with pest control at the Walls station in 2022 and 2023.
A report was raised in May 2022 about birds and mice entering the station, which also highlighted that the building was clad in asbestos cement sheeting.
In March 2023 another report was raised about how the front left hand side of the Walls station was “rotting away, with open access to vermin”.
It said mice were able to get into the lockers, adding again that there was asbestos in the walls, “so they cannot be disturbed”.
There was also work undertaken on “making good” or “encapsulating” localised damage to corrugated asbestos cement sheeting on the exterior of the Walls station in 2024, with the report suggesting two workers travelled up from the mainland for the job. The spend attributed to this piece of work was £5,185.
The HSE had said the SFRS had failed to provide adequate facilities at these stations in that there were “no fixed toilets, rest facilities, showers or changing areas at any of the facilities”.
The lack of facilities at the three stations was regularly raised by the chairman of Shetland’s community safety and resilience board, councillor Allison Duncan.
Speaking last year, he put blame on central management as well as the Scottish Government, which funds the country’s fire service, and said local staff were “exonerated” from any share of criticism.
Representatives of the Fire Brigade Union made a visit to local stations in 2024, with one saying that Bressay was the “worst station” they had seen in 20 years.
Fire union member says Bressay and Walls among worst stations he has seen
However the conditions of the notices have been met, with status of the buildings changed to “garages” and crews training from other stations.
Local fire chief Matt Mason said: “Following the improvement notice from the HSE, we have put a number of actions in place locally.
“Credit must be given to our staff who have adapted well to the new arrangements and continue to provide an excellent service to our local communities.
“The affected stations remain in use as a garage facility and our on-call staff continue to respond to operational incidents from these locations in the same manner.
“All other work is undertaken at alternative SFRS locations or other sites for our theoretical and practical training.”
Mason said an important part of the new working arrangements is a requirement for staff to fully decontaminate including showering at one of the more equipped stations including Brae, Lerwick and Sumburgh following any operational incident where they may have encountered any contaminants.
“A positive outcome from the arrangements has seen closer working across our stations with the teams routinely meeting to practise and hone their skills together,” he added.
Despite a challenging financial picture, Mason said improvements continue to be made to local stations and new shower facilities will be installed in the very near future in Unst and Whalsay.
“Alongside this, plans are in place to upgrade our training facilities at Sumburgh, including new shower and decontamination facilities,” he said.
“These investments demonstrate our commitment to the safety of our staff and the Shetland public we serve.”
Commenting prior to the pre-election period, Mason also said that in 2025/26 the SFRS received £47 million for its capital budget, which was an increase on previous years.
“But there’s no guarantee that future funding will remain at this level,” he warned.
“The capital budget is allocated for buying and improving assets, which includes building, fleet, equipment and ICT.
“However, it would cost in the region of more than £800 million to bring all buildings and equipment up to required standards, which is not a feasible option with the funding available.”
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