Scotland's fire service 999 response times hit 10-year high

The Herald Scotland

13 hours ago

The Scottish Conservatives said that over the 10 years the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) saw its funding cut in real terms by £57 million by the Scottish Government, while the number of firefighters fell by almost 1,000.
The Scottish government has increased the SFRS capital budget to £47m but there are calls for this to be increased to resolve issues with the ageing fleet and estate issues.
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A firefighters' union has also warned the service is "already on its knees" as proposals to close more than a dozen stations in Scotland is currently being considered.
The latest data outlines that responses to 999 calls have slowed almost every consecutive year between 2014 and 2024, including for calls where it was considered there was a high risk of casualty.
In 2014, it took an average of six minutes and 51 seconds for a 999 call to result in the fire service arriving on site. By 2024, this had increased to a median of eight minutes and 20 seconds – an increase of 21%.
There was a similar increase among cases classified as 'possible life risk incidents', meaning there was a high risk of encountering a casualty.
In 2014, it took a median of 7 minutes and 13 seconds for a 999 call to result in the fire service arriving on site. By 2024, this had increased to 8 minutes and 42 seconds – a 20% increase.
Scottish Tory MSP Sharon Dowey condemned the SNP's 'continual contempt' for the fire service and public safety, describing their cuts as 'an abject dereliction of duty'.
The party's community Safety spokesperson Ms Dowey MSP said: 'Our firefighters do an incredible job, but the SNP's savage and sustained budget cuts are putting public safety in jeopardy.
'It's little wonder that emergency response times have hit their slowest rate in ten years, when the nationalists have imposed a real terms cut of £57million and the number of firefighters has dropped by one thousand within a decade.
'On the SNP's watch, 18 fire stations have no running water, most fire engines are over 10 years old, and many stations are in poor condition with several set to be closed.
'Their continual contempt for our fire service and failure to maintain crucial firefighter numbers is an abject dereliction of duty which will almost certainly have resulted in lives being lost.
'It is crucial that SNP ministers step in now and urgently protect the public by giving the fire service the resources they desperately need.'
House fires have fallen to an all-time low and over the last two decades, deaths caused by fire have fallen from 89 to 42. The casualty rate has also dropped from 1,951 to 815.
However, in contrast, firefighters are dealing with more floods, wildfires and rescues.
Wildfire incident in Scotland. (Image: Peter Jolly) A Scottish Government spokesperson said: 'We continue to support the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) with substantial year-on-year budget increases that enable our firefighters to deliver a high standard of services and keep our communities safe.
"This year's Budget includes £412.2 million for SFRS – an increase of £18.8 million and Scotland continues to have more firefighters per capita than other parts of the UK.
'Whilst the deployment of SFRS resources is an operational matter for the Chief Fire Officer, their targeted approach to risk and allocation of resource overtook the focus given to response times some years ago - and the service continues to respond to every emergency incident with the appropriate level of resource.'
The SFRS has been contacted for comment.
The figures come as the SFRS is proposing the closure of up to 13 stations across Scotland, new arrangements for night and weekend cover at others and the permanent withdrawal of 10 appliances nationwide.
Five stations in Dundee, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Musselburgh could be shut down or merged.
The 23 options, being published on Wednesday, involve more than 30 fire stations in 14 local authority areas, and the service has warned that more change is likely in years to come.
The consultation will remain open for 10 weeks, with the SFRS saying it wants 'as many people as possible' to submit their views on the proposed changes.
The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) says the service is 'already on its knees' after a decade of what it calls real-terms cuts.
Responding to the proposals, FBU Scottish secretary John McKenzie previously said: 'Our members and the Scottish public have suffered more than enough cuts to the fire service.
'For over a decade, real-terms budget cuts have increased risks to public safety, with firefighter numbers slashed and response times increasing as a result.
'The service is already on its knees because of these cuts. That has led to increases in response times and when this time is lost, tragically lives will also be lost.
'This is unacceptable and any proposals to further compromise our service and public safety must be rejected."
The SFRS has said any changes would only be made if they ensured safety.