FIRE fighters are being given specialist training to deal with the aftermath of terror attacks in case of any large-scale incidents in Glasgow.

Fire crews across the city are being advised how to deal with multiple stab wounds as well as blunt-force trauma injuries caused by vehicles.

It comes as the terror threat across the country remains at severe, following the bombing of a train carriage in London on Friday.

The terror training is just one part of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service's changing strategies for the future, which include dealing with severe weather-related incidents and risks associated with an increasingly elderly population.

In an exclusive interview with the Evening Times, Glasgow's top firefighter Jim Hymas told how his team are getting prepared and ready to take action should any terrorist incident happen in the city.

Jim, Glasgow's local senior officer, said: "Glasgow is an iconic city, known right across the world, and although we don't have any specific threat to Scotland right now we have to be prepared.

"We are thinking about how fire fighters can get to [the scene] and try to save people people as early as possible, to maintain that life as best they can."

Fire fighters are being shown how to treat people with multiple stab wounds, for example from machetes and knives, and how to handle multiple casualties at once.

This is along with their normal duties of dealing with fire, which Jim said is being more often used as a terrorist medium because of the strong image it creates.

Jim explained:"You will have seen that fire is used as a medium because it is such a strong picture.

" If you see the modern way we are being affected [by terrorism] across our cities – Westminster bridge, Las Ramblas, Finsbury Park, the Paris attack - its a mixture of vehicle-borne weaponry and knives.

"[Terrorists] are hiring vans, lorries, taking over lorries, and going through a set of streets. We are making sure our fire fighters are able to deal with a high number of casualties, a high number of injuries.

"If you imagine that to happen on Buchanan street for instance, and there were casualties everywhere… you need to ensure that people can be deployed and maintain those lives as best they can.

"We are making sure our fire fighters are able to deal people with lots of stab wounds or blunt force trauma of vehicle impact."

The main legislation guiding the fire service today dates back to 1947, which no longer reflects many of the challenges of modern society, according to Jim.

He said the service has been laying the ground work for its "transformation" over the past four years since merging to a single service, and is now wokring on doing more in the community.

Fire crews regularly conduct CPR training in businesses, schools and universities across the country and can be the first blue light service on site if someone has a heart attack.

Their engines are fitted with defibrillators, and all members of the team are trained on how to do vital CPR.

Along with this, crews are facing rising challenges from severe weather-related flooding and are working to help the elderly population across the city.

They also deal with domestic abuse-related incidents and save people from car wreckages, as well as fitting smoke detectors for free in thousands of homes a year.

Jim said: "There was no terrorist threat in 1947. You would never have thought back then that the fire service would look at how it could help the elderly and ageing population or people with alcohol and drug dependency."

As part of the service's plans to help more in the community, Jim will launch a consultation with other blue light services, the council and other partnership organisations in the coming months.

The plans include fire fighters signposting help required for the vulnerable and elderly people they go and visit every day.

Jim said: "If we're going in to a house, and there is an elderly person there, maybe it's right that we spot if you need a handrail fitted or extra support.

"Perhaps we should be able to signpost that to somebody."