Single Scottish fire service will be good for business, says FIA

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Businesses in Scotland will benefit from the creation of a single fire service in the country, according to the Fire Industry Association ( FIA ).

From April 2013, the eight regional fire and rescue services in Scotland will be merged into a single body.

The move has been welcomed by Graham Ellicott, chief executive of the FIA , who expects that the creation of a single set of policies will deliver cost savings for those in the fire industry and local companies.

"One attendance policy for automatic fire alarms will mean that businesses can standardise the relevant fire training for their staff across all of Scotland," he said.

"In contrast, in England the disparate postcode lottery approach of the English brigades is imposing a real cost burden on business as each fire and rescue service has its own set of policies with little or no co-ordination even between geographically adjacent organisations."

Justice secretary Kenny MacAskill has estimated that the single service will deliver savings of £1.7 billion over 15 years.