Scot Lib Dem dossier exposes state of the fire service in summer of wildfires

Scottish Liberal Democrats have today warned that the state of Scotland’s fire and rescue service is putting communities at risk.

A series of freedom of information requests from the party has revealed that:

• Scottish Fire & Rescue had to pay almost £6 million in overtime payments last year, up by a third in the last five years from £4.5 million in 2021/22.
• Mental health absences have skyrocketed, from 4,219 days lost in 2021/22 to 12,132 days lost in 2025/26.

They have also revealed significant holes in Scotland’s retained firefighter system:

• Across stations in the East of Scotland, out of 563 full-time equivalent posts, just 413 are filled.
• Across stations in the North of Scotland, out of 1,933 full-time equivalent posts, just 1,229 are filled, leaving more than 700 empty.
• Across stations in the West of Scotland, out of 813 full-time equivalent posts, just 628 are filled.
• This means that Scotland-wide, there are 1,039 full-time equivalent posts (or 31%) unfilled.

There is also grim reading from individual stations across Scotland:

Among the worst affected stations are Troon in Ayrshire, which is supposed to have a complement of 20 retained duty firefighters but is dependent on just 8.83 FTE roles. Muirkirk and Mauchline in Ayrshire also have fewer than half the firefighters they are supposed to have.

Garelochhead in Argyll & Bute has just 7.3 of its intended complement of 20 firefighters.

Scotland’s island communities are particularly badly affected. On Hoy in Orkney, just 6 of the proposed 20 firefighters are in place, while St Margaret’s Hope has just 9 out of 20. Of the 12 Orkney stations, only Stromness meets its stated requirement.

In the Western Isles, the Valtos station has just 5 out of 12, while Great Bernera and Bayhead each have less than half of what they are supposed to have and only Stornoway meets its intended staffing level. In Shetland, almost every station is well below its intended cohort of retained firefighters.

In Perth & Kinross, Angus and Dundee every station reports vacancies with Coupar Angus and Dunkeld each having less than half their intended staff numbers.

In the Highlands, stations like Lochinver, Durness, Torridon and Uig have less than half the intended staff numbers, while Tongue has just 2 out of 12. Dingwall and Thurso are short at least six staff members, while Scourie is dependent on a single member of staff instead of 12.

In the North East, at least seven staff are missing from rotas in Turriff, while Inverurie has just 10 staff out of an intended roster of 20.

In the South of Scotland, Annan is missing at least seven staff as just one of the 14 stations in Dumfries & Galloway is fully staffed, while on the East Coast, North Berwick has just 6.5 FTE roles in a station intended to contain 15 while Eyemouth has just 3 out of 10.

Livingston has less than half its intended quota of 15 retained duty firefighters, with Bathgate, Bo’ness and Falkirk similarly well below their intended staffing levels.

Please note that other areas of Scotland such as Glasgow and Edinburgh have full-time staff and do not rely on retained firefighters.

Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP for Ross, Skye & Lochaber, Andrew Baxter, whose constituency contained the vast Nethy bridge wildfire, said:

“Scotland’s retained duty firefighter system is creaking and straining.

“This dossier exposes that in so many communities across Scotland, lives, livelihoods and our precious natural environment are being defended by just a handful of volunteers.

“Meanwhile the fire service is losing more and more staff to mental health pressures and relying on a growing overtime bill to plug gaps.

“We need the Scottish Government to step in and commission a probe into whether Scotland’s current defences are fit for purpose.

“No one will ever fault Scotland’s firefighters for effort or service. That needs to be matched by leadership from fire service bosses and the ministers who sit behind them.”