Scottish Lib Dem Conference backs review of fire service following Cairngorms blaze

At their autumn conference, Scottish Liberal Democrats have backed calls for SNP ministers to review the state of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, as the party’s Highland MSPs said that the government’s current approach to wildfires is “not fit for purpose”.

Following the blaze that raged across the Cairngorms during the summer, the party led a debate on wildfires in the Scottish Parliament.

More than 2,500 hectares of moorland and forest were destroyed in the fire. It led to the evacuation of residents in Nethy Bridge, with smoke spreading all the way out to Aberdeen.

SNP ministers delayed chairing a meeting of their Resilience Room, convened at times of emergency, by more than a week. When it was eventually held, the SNP government refused an offer of UK military support to help tackle the wildfire.

The Scottish Liberal Democrat motion calls on the SNP government to:

• Convene a cross-party summit with relevant stakeholders in order to learn the lessons of the Cairngorms wildfire so that communities are not let down again
• Commission a probe to review the current state of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and identify what steps need to be taken to ensure that the service can tackle major incidents without experiencing undue pressure on resources.

Party members also backed an amendment which calls for the Scottish Government to increase public investment in peatland restoration and new native woodland to enhance the resilience of Scotland’s landscape.

Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch Andrew Baxter MSP, who also moved the motion, said:

“The Cairngorms wildfire exposed the devastating consequences of being underprepared for the new climate threat facing Scotland's rural communities.

“The SNP government’s action plan on wildfires, and their subsequent response, fell grossly short of what was needed.

“We need to be clear: it is not a case of if the next fire strikes- it is a case of when.

“Our plans would ensure that whenever that is, the government can show the leadership it sorely lacked in the summer.”

Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP for the Highlands and Islands region Morven-May MacCallum said:

“The Scottish Government’s current approach to wildfires is not fit for purpose.

“That approach left communities across the Cairngorms extremely vulnerable. Residents were forced to flee their homes. What should have been a thriving summer season became a nightmare for local businesses.

“With Scotland experiencing hotter and drier summers, we need a government that is far more proactive, far more prepared.

“The proposals we are setting out would bring together ministers, fire teams, local authorities, land managers and more so that communities are not let down again.”

Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross David Green MSP said:

“The government needs to learn the lessons from this summer- this is not a time for squabbling.

"We have heard on a recent visit to Reay Forest Estate how many land managers are working hard and working fast to develop technology to counter the threat of wildfires.

"What cannot happen is that the government wastes more time in developing its response to such events as it did before.

"There have been enough warnings - now is the time to support our over-stretched fire fighters, emergency services and estate and rural workers with action".