Fire service ‘creaking and straining’ as staffing gaps exposed across Scotland

Scotland’s fire and rescue service is facing widespread staffing shortages, according to new figures.

A series of freedom of information requests by the Scottish Lib Dems found the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spent almost £6m in overtime payments last year.

That figure has increased by around a third from £4.5m in 2021/22.

It also found that 1,039 full-time equivalent retained firefighter posts are currently unfilled across Scotland – around 31% of the total.

The Lib Dems said the figures have revealed issues with the retained firefighter system.

‘Working to exhaustion’

The figures have been revealed just days after the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) warned that the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has lost 1,239 firefighters since 2013.

Sharing a statement, the union says firefighters are “working to exhaustion” after responding to wildfires throughout the summer, including a major one across the Cairngorms, as well as large structural fires in Edinburgh and Glasgow.

The Scottish Liberal Democrats’ Freedom of Information requests show more than 1,000 full-time equivalent retained firefighter posts are currently unfilled.

In the East, 413 of 563 full-time posts are filled, while in the North, just 1,229 of 1,933 are occupied. In the West, 628 of 813 posts are filled.

Figures show “many significant shortages” at individual stations across Scotland.

Troon – Eight firefighters out of an intended 20
Muirkirk and Mauchline – Fewer than half of their intended staffing levels
Garelochhead – Seven firefighters out of an intended 20
Hoy – Six firefighters out of an intended 20
St Margaret’s Hope – Nine firefighters out of an intended 20
Valtos – Five firefighters out of an intended 12
Great Bernera and Bayhead – Fewer than half of their intended staffing levels
Lochinver, Durness, Torridon and Uig – Fewer than half of their intended staffing levels
Tongue – Two firefighters out of an intended 12
Scourie -One firefighter out of an intended 12

In Perth and Kinross, Angus and Dundee, every station included in the figures has reported vacancies.

The party also raised concerns about staffing levels in the Borders and across the central belt, including Livingston, Bathgate, Bo’ness and Falkirk.

The party said its FOI requests also showed a sharp rise in the number of working days lost to mental health absences, from 4,219 in 2021/22 to 12,132 in 2025/26.

Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP for Ross, Skye and Lochaber Andrew Baxter said the figures showed the retained firefighter system was “creaking and straining”.

He said: “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.”

The Fire Brigades Union has written to the First Minister calling for “immediate investment” across the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The 2026-27 budget includes almost £436m for SFRS (Scottish Fire and Rescue Service) – an increase of £23.8m. This investment supports frontline services and the Scottish Government is in regular contact with SFRS to ensure it has the resources it needs to continue to keep Scotland’s communities safe.

“The strength of a national fire service lies in its ability to draw on resources from across Scotland to respond to incidents like wildfires. Earlier this year, the SFRS conducted a review to ensure resources are in the right place at the right time.

“As of March 2025, there were 11.1 firefighters per 10,000 population in Scotland, compared to 5.6 in England and 10.3 in Wales. On-call firefighter availability is a historical and complex challenge being faced across the whole of the UK. SFRS is also working to address issues with recruiting firefighters in rural areas through its On-Call Improvement Programme.”