Chamber and committees

This is a matter for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. The information requested is not held centrally. The member may wish to contact the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service directly.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-02949 on 17 September 2026. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/questions-and-answers .

As part of its New Mobilising System project, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service will be rolling out its Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system to the Edinburgh Operations Control on 30 September, followed by Dundee Operations Control on 27 October and Johnstone Operations Control on 24 November.

The Scottish Government is not aware of any widespread failings in workplace or management culture at the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. Any accusations of specific failings would be primarily a matter for the SFRS Board but, depending on circumstances, the Scottish Government would take appropriate action to ensure any failings are dealt with thoroughly and speedily.

The Scottish Government allocates an annual capital budget to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. The SFRS Board takes decisions on how that budget should be split between estate, fleet and equipment. The majority of assets such as appliances and equipment are used for multiple types of emergencies and are not limited to one type of incident. SFRS is rolling out a £1.6 million programme of investment at part of its Wildfire Strategy but the Scottish Government does not hold information on the expenditure on equipment specific to tackling wildfires over the last 10 years.

The provision of PPE, training and decontamination are all operational matters for SFRS. All firefighters in Scotland are equipped with PPE and trained for the emergency situations they face. Following the greater awareness of the possible dangers of fire contamination on firefighter health, SFRS has fundamentally changed its processes and procedures the minimise the exposure. This includes post incident decontamination, including wildfires.

Following the former Cabinet Secretary for Housing’s letter to COSLA, officials met with COSLA officers to reiterate Scottish Government’s expectations regarding the availability of powers for local authorities to make use of byelaws in order to ensure accommodation standards for seasonal workers are appropriate.

COSLA officers had committed to undertake further engagement with local authority officers that have agricultural seasonal workers in their area to identify the necessary requirements in order for further discussions with officials to take place on how the Scottish Government can support local authorities’ consideration of byelaws through information, advice and guidance. Officials stand ready to support COSLA officers when such an approach will be made.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service Board is operating effectively and the Scottish Government has no plans to reform its operation. All SFRS Board meetings take place in public with the papers published on the SFRS website in advance. In addition, the Scottish Government holds a public Annual Performance Review meeting each year in which stakeholders and members of the public can ask questions on the performance of the service over the preceding 12 months.

His Majesty’s Fire Service Inspectorate is currently conducting a thematic review into the culture of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. The Scottish Government will work closely with SFRS following that review to ensure any appropriate recommendations are implemented and that any suggested improvements are carefully considered.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-02949 on 17 September 2026. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/questions-and-answers.