MEMBERS of the public are being asked to join Inverclyde's elected representatives and take part in a major protest against swingeing fire service cuts this week.

People are being asked to come along to the Fire Brigades Union’s demonstration at Glasgow’s George Square this Thursday at 1pm.

Independent councillor Tommy McVey, who will be attending the event, told the Telegraph it was important to show a united front of opposition to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s proposals.

OTHER NEWS: Greenock man Connor McGhee to appear on Celebs Go Dating

The controversial plans which are being brought forward by SFRS bosses would see Greenock Fire Station lose at least 10 firefighter posts, with a new crewing model being brought in for the local station’s high-reach vehicle.

Councillor McVey said: “There’s no doubt we’ve got a fight on our hands here to stop the cuts.

“The level of support we’ve had from local councillors has been really good.

“I’m really encouraged by that, but it would be great if as many of us as possible could attend the demonstration.

“Even more than that, it would be good if our MSPs and even our MP could get involved.

“As elected representatives we’ve all got a duty to protect the citizens of Inverclyde and also in addition to that protect the firefighters' jobs.

“We need these guys here to save lives. You never know when you’re going to need to call on them.

“I would like to see as many people as possible because we’ve got to get the message across.

“If you can make it then come along.

“It’s critical that we protect our services.”

FBU West Area Region chairman and local firefighter Colin Edgely said he and his colleagues were committed to opposing the cuts.

He added: “You can’t possibly make people safer by reducing fire cover.

“If you have less firefighters and less appliances to attend incidents or they’re coming from further away, it’s fairly obvious that it’s going to lengthen turnout times.

“That will put members of the public who find themselves in a fire or a road traffic collision at risk and it will also put firefighters at risk because they’ll be facing situations where they are not able to deploy fully because they’re waiting on resources.

“We have delegations coming from across the UK, we’ll also have support from other trade unions groups, members of the public, friends and family and elected officials from all the areas that will be affected.

“We’re expecting a really good turnout from a wide section of society.

“In days gone by the fire budgets were pored over by local elected officials, that is no longer the case.

“We see that as a removal of that kind of scrutiny whereby local people’s elected officials were able to ask why something was being done.

“This is a chance for ordinary people to come along and tell ministers and the people who design budgets that their safety and their lives are more important than a budget.

“We want people to come along and show their support because they should know that when they need us, we’ll be there for them.”

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has previously stated that all three of Greenock’s appliances will remain operational under the new proposals.

They say that various factors have been considered in terms of population and matching resources to the risk and demand that exists within Scottish communities.

They added that the national assets will be strategically placed to provide appropriate coverage.