Campaign

WRITE TO YOUR MSP

Protect the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service

You will be aware of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) Service Delivery Review (SDR) and the associated public consultation which ran throughout the summer.

The options covered in the public consultation include fire station closures, changes to duty systems, reductions in emergency cover across the country and the loss of yet more frontline firefighter numbers.

This comes following over a decade of sustained frontline cuts. Public opposition to further Service cuts has been almost universal throughout the SDR consultation.

Since the creation of the single Scottish Fire and Rescue Service there has been sustained **underinvestment** in Scotland’s firefighters and the Service they provide. Scotland’s Chief Fire Officer recently told the Scottish Parliament’s Criminal Justice Committee that there has been:

“_A real-terms reduction of around 18% in our resource budget since 2013.”_

He went on to say:

“_We are seeking capital funding of £61 million in 2026-27, rising to £77 million by 2029-30. To cover our baseline and unavoidable cost pressures, SFRS requires a resource budget uplift in 2026-27 of £30.854 million. An additional £5.7 million would enable us to advance our strategic priorities, including through the use of technology to improve firefighter safety, fire prevention, digital transformation and cybersecurity, with investment in leadership development to support a positive workforce culture.”_

As one of your constituents I want to tell you how much I value 24/7 fire cover, a modern Fire and Rescue Service estate and how much I am opposed to any further increases in emergency response times.

If the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service is to truly modernise, making it fit for decades to come, it is crucial that we see urgent action.

I am calling on you to write to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance calling for an increase in the SFRS Capital and Resource budget to ensure:

**1\. No further cuts to firefighter numbers**

**2\. No further cuts to emergency fire and rescue cover at any time of the day or night**

**3\. The safe crewing model is maintained**

**4\. Significant investment in fire station welfare and decontamination facilities made**

**5\. Increased and sustained real terms investment from the Scottish Government**

It is vital that whichever party forms the Scottish Government following the May 2026 elections, they have an acute focus on protecting SFRS. I ask that you push to ensure your party manifesto includes concrete commitments to support the five points above.

I look forward to hearing from you about the actions you have taken to support the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service by calling for a very significant increase in its budget and securing your party’s manifesto commitments.