Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government has not received any direct requests from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) for equipment to deal with wildfires.

The capital budget for SFRS in 2025-26 is £47 million, an increase of £4 million over the previous year to improve facilities for firefighters, and invest in the SFRS asset base across property, fleet, operational equipment and ICT.

This has enabled SFRS to invest in its wildfire strategy which includes provision of equipment such as leaf blowers, brush cutters, all-terrain vehicles, as well as training in subjects such as tactical burning, which is a first for the SFRS. As a result of this investment, additional resources and training, the SFRS are now better equipped and more prepared than ever for responding to wildfires.

SFRS remains fully ready and able to respond to any instance of wildfire that occurs across Scotland.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information.

The allocation of resources within the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) is an operational matter for the Chief Fire Officer and SFRS Board. Scottish Government has not allocated funding to SFRS for the specific purpose of tackling wildfires, the £422.2 million budget is allocated to support the whole range of SFRS functions.

The budget for 2025-26 provides SFRS with an additional £18.8 million in support of front line services.

Scottish Government is supportive of the SFRS Wildfire Strategy which was launched in 2023 and is supported by a planned spend of around £1.6 million over the course of three years. SFRS responds to wildfires using a tiered system of fire stations which include the latest technology and techniques to safely bring any incident to a conclusion.

SFRS remains ready and able to respond to any instance of wildfire that occurs across Scotland.

Recruitment and retention of Wholetime and On Call firefighters is a matter for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) Chief Fire Officer and Board.

In common with other fire and rescue services both across the UK and internationally there are recognised challenges to the recruitment and retention of firefighters in rural areas. Scottish Government is supportive of the work that SFRS is doing to enable recruitment in these areas.

SFRS continues to recruit all year round and actively recruit for on call firefighters across local areas by holding community open days and events. Within many areas across Scotland, SFRS has targeted recruitment campaigns on a variety of platforms and many of these highlight the local people who are already helping their community.

Recruitment and retention of Wholetime and On Call firefighters is a matter for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) Chief Fire Officer and Board.

Terms and Conditions of all firefighters are negotiated on a UK wide basis under a well-established collective bargaining process. Through this process, there is a new nationally agreed pay banding system which offers more flexibility in the contracts SFRS can offer to Retained Firefighters, which SFRS hope will allow people who may not previously have been able to provide the requisite commitment to contribute to protecting their communities whilst maintaining a better work/life balance.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information.

The allocation of resources within the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) is an operational matter for the Chief Fire Officer and SFRS Board. There is a Public Sector Framework contract in place for the provision of suitable helicopter services (including for the use of firefighting). This framework was constructed on the basis of estimated levels of use by the various Public Bodies who utilise this contract (including NatureScot, Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) and SFRS).

Forestry and Land Scotland routinely work with SFRS during wildfire incidents, strategically placing available aircraft and / or helicopter support in the right locations at the right times during wildfire incidents across Scotland. The call-out process, as defined within the framework contract, is followed when helicopter support is required by SFRS and / or FLS.

The Chief Fire Officer has provided assurances to the Scottish Government that fire fighter safety is an absolute priority and that all equipment in place is safe. SFRS remains fully ready and able to respond to any instance of wildfire that occurs across Scotland.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information.

Recruitment and retention of Wholetime and On Call firefighters is a matter for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) Chief Fire Officer and Board.

In common with other fire and rescue services both across the UK and internationally there are recognised challenges to the recruitment and retention of firefighters in rural areas. Scottish Government is supportive of the work that SFRS is doing to enable recruitment in these areas. SFRS has implemented a pre-recruitment engagement programme. This programme introduces candidates into the station environment for up to 12 weeks prior to their selection tests. Further initiatives include reimbursing candidate travel expenses, conducting localised fitness assessments and facilitating the migration from On Call to Wholetime employment for better career progression.

SFRS remains ready and able to respond to any instance of wildfire that occurs across Scotland.

The allocation of resources within the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) is an operational matter for the Chief Fire Officer and SFRS Board.

The SFRS is currently conducting a Service Delivery Review, which aims to ensure that SFRS staff, stations and appliances are matched to operational risk and demand across Scotland. SFRS is now in the final stages of an options appraisal process which will lead to a full public consultation exercise, planned for the summer 2025. Any changes to SFRS station footprint or how SFRS delivers core emergency services is subject to this full public consultation and final decision by the SFRS Board.