TRAGIC Ewan Williamson told his family he feared a firefighter would be killed over the lack of safety training due to budget cuts – just a week before he died.

The West Fife firefighter told his mum and sisters at a family meal he was worried it would “not be long” before cuts led to the death of a firefighter.

Mr Williamson, who lived in Carnock as a youngster, became the first Lothian and Borders firefighter to die on active duty when he became trapped while battling a fire at the Balmoral Bar in Dalry Road, Edinburgh, on 12th July 2009.

Last week, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) were fined £54,000 after admitting to health and safety breaches that contributed to Mr Williamson’s death but it brought little comfort to his grieving family.

They blasted fire chiefs over “serious failures” and have called for a Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) to be held.

A statement released through their lawyers said, “His death was unnecessary. Had well recognised firefighting procedures been followed that night then Ewan, and other firefighters, would not have been exposed to unacceptably high levels of risk.” It added, “In the week before he died, Ewan visited his mother’s house for a family meal.

“He told his family that he was worried about the lack of safety training being given to firefighters which he believed was due to budget cuts.

“He went on to say that it would not be long before these cuts led to the death of a firefighter.

“His words have been echoed by many of the firefighters we have spoken to since his death.” The family said it was “difficult to know” if anything positive had come out of the prosecution and hit out at the SFRS’ “siege mentality”.

The statement continued, “The adversarial process involved has resulted in Scottish Fire & Rescue Service having to defend itself and as part of their ‘siege mentality’, they have refused to discuss what happened and what went wrong at the Balmoral Bar with Ewan’s trade union, the Fire Brigades Union.

“Scottish Fire and Rescue Service should now acknowledge that lessons need to be learned and, in particular, that training needs to be improved for officers who find themselves in command at serious fires.” In a cruel twist of fate, Mr Williamson wasn’t even supposed to be on duty when he became trapped in the inferno, which colleagues previously compared to “flowing lava”.

He was, in fact, on annual leave but came in for overtime duty due to a shortage of resources.

The High Court in Edinburgh previously heard how Mr Williamson had become separated from his colleagues as they exited the building and became trapped in the pub’s ground-floor toilet.

Over his radio, he said, “I’ll be there in a minute boss, I’m stuck. I think I’m stuck in the toilet.” When it became clear that he needed help, other firefighters tried to come to his aid.

However, several unsuccessful attempts were made to locate him before the building was evacuated after the floor collapsed.

Firefighters later had to force their way into the toilet after cutting their way through a boarded-up window but when they found Mr Williamson, he was unresponsive and later declared dead.

The SFRS pled guilty to a single charge and admitted failings “to have in place an effective system of radio communication” and failing “to have in place an effective system of implementation of procedures for firefighters using breathing apparatus” during the fire.

It also admitted failing to “adequately monitor and ensure attendance by firefighters at training courses” and failing to maintain accurate training records between 13th July 2008 and 12th July 2009.

And it further admitted failing to “adequately train firefighters to ensure close personal contact was maintained during firefighting and search and rescue activities” in the same period.

Speaking after the fine was imposed, chief officer Alasdair Hay apologised “unreservedly” on behalf of the SFRS for any failing which contributed to Mr Williamson’s death.

He said, “Ewan was a very popular and respected firefighter who died a hero in the line of duty at an incident where 16 people were rescued. His professionalism and sacrifice will always be remembered.

“I will now take time to consider the judge’s comments and ensure that the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, through its safer firefighter programme, is addressing the issues raised throughout this investigation and that all lessons are learned to improve the safety of our firefighters.” The Crown Office said on Friday it was considering whether or not to hold a FAI into Mr Williamson’s death and that the decision would be made as soon as possible following ongoing discussions with his family.