Legislation was passed by the Scottish Government committing Scotland to achieving Net Zero carbon emissions by 2045, alongside interim targets to reduce emissions by 75% from 1990 levels by 2030, and 90% by 2040.

As a supportive partner, SFRS has pledged a reduction of 6% per annum until 2030, that's a 80% overall reduction in the Service's emissions.

We recognise that energy used in heating and powering our estate and in fuelling our fleet are our primary sources of carbon emissions.

That’s why we are investing in renewable technologies in our buildings to make them more energy efficient.

• More than £1 million will be spent this year (2021/22) on projects such as installing smart heating controls in fire stations and providing more roof solar panels.
• Our Cambuslang National Training Centre is switching to a biomass boiler, which will heat the building using sustainably sourced materials.

Our network of electric vehicles and charging infrastructure is expanding as more funding becomes available.

• More than £2m of funding has been provided to date by the Scottish Government’s Switched on Fleets initiative. As part of this initiative, the Energy Savings Trust awarded SFRS £624,000 in September 2019 for the purchase of electric vehicle charging points infrastructure for nine locations across the Service. A further grant of £2.095m was awarded in November 2020 from Transport Scotland to lease 62 low emission electric cars (£644,000) over a three-year period, and to purchase additional EV charging infrastructure (£1.451m) at forty-nine locations across the Service.
• We are developing Scotland’s first electric powered fire appliance, funded by Transport Scotland and supported by Scottish Enterprise. This is being built by Emergency One in Ayrshire.

We are working together to support our communities to tackle climate change related incidents, such as wildfires and flooding.

• Our water rescue capabilities are being enhanced with the arrival, in the summer of 2021, of twenty new boats, described by Community Safety Minister Ash Regan as ‘a welcome development which will increase the capability of this crucial service’.

As we continue on this net zero journey, we will develop a series of five-year Carbon Management Plans (CMP), comprising specific measurable projects, and you can read our current Carbon Management Plans 2020-2025 to find out more about the initiatives we are investing in.

Our Climate Change Response Plan 2045 represents our long term vision for the Service.