Marionville Fire Station has been saved from imminent closure!
This is a massive win for our community and wouldn't have happened without the hard fought campaign by the Fire Brigades Union and Living Rent members in Lochend.
Our member Kirsty tells you exactly how we did it below.
When plans emerged to close Marionville Fire Station, Living Rent Lochend Branch joined forces with members of the Craigentinny and Meadowbank Community Council and firefighters from Marionville to oppose the national plan to close our local fire station.
Over the following months we pooled our community resources and organised stalls to speak with local people to gather support for the cause. We also co-ordinated our efforts with the firefighters at Marionville to help put flyers through doors, hang up posters, and spread the online petition details.
When the time came for the official community engagement meetings held at Craigentinny Community Centre, a public demonstration brought together firefighters, residents, community groups and activists to show the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) the strength of feeling across our community. The campaign highlighted the key role Marionville Station had and continues to have on high profile fires in the surrounding area and the wider role of the station in keeping local
communities safe.The hard work paid off, and we have been granted a temporary reprieve. Marionville will not close in this wave of restructuring. This success demonstrates the power of collective action. When neighbours organise alongside workers and community groups, we can defend the
public services that matter most.But the fight is not over yet! The station’s future remains unclear due to structural issues caused by RAAC roof panels and the lack of dignified changing facilities at the site due to its size and age. Therefore, the fight to save Marionville is not over and we need to keep up the pressure on the SFRS to formulate a more sustainable plan for the future of the station.
