Lothians MSP says that Edinburgh East and beyond could be left dangerously exposed under proposals to close Marionville Fire Station.

The proposal includes moving crews more than three and a half miles away which in my view would increase response times at the very moment the area is expanding.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) is consulting on plans that would see Marionville permanently shut, adding between four and six minutes to local response times. Fire Brigades Union (FBU) figures show that since 2013 Scotland has lost more than 1,200 firefighters, with response times already up by 20%.

“In an emergency, four to six minutes is an eternity, and a dangerous one,” firefighters warn.

Earlier this month the FBU met MSPs at the Scottish Parliament to set out the knock-on effects of the cuts. I attended and signed a cross-party letter to the First Minister, said the proposals were “a recipe for disaster” unless The Scottish Government steps in.

As the city grows, we should be strengthening local stations like Marionville, not shutting them down. Closing Marionville is gambling with lives in East Edinburgh and beyond. The government must step up with real investment before tragedy teaches us this lesson the hard way.

The SFRS claims neighbouring stations can absorb Marionville’s workload, but the figures suggest otherwise. McDonald Road, the nearest station, is already Scotland’s third busiest with 3,000 incidents a year. Absorbing Marionville’s 1,300 calls would make it the busiest in the country, stretching crews to breaking point and leaving other parts of the city dangerously under-protected.

The recent fire on Arthur’s Seat underlined how critical speed is when disaster strikes. Yet Marionville sits in one of Edinburgh’s fastest-growing areas, with 3,500 new homes planned within a mile and Leith Docks undergoing a £100 million reindustrialisation, including the world’s largest offshore wind farm.

To strip fire cover from this community will not only endanger East Edinburgh, it will weaken protection across the capital. At such a crucial time, firefighters warn, this would not just be reckless; it would be utterly irresponsible.