SFRS marks 12th Annual Performance Review
With Scotland witnessing a large number of outdoor fires this year, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has said it must continue to evolve to meet Scotland’s changing needs.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) Annual Performance Review (APR) has taken place in Ayr.
It allows the Scottish Government to formally assess the SFRS's performance during 2024-25 against established priorities.
During the review meeting, the SFRS Board and Strategic Leadership Team explained how the organisation is continuing to explore options for change through its Service Delivery Review and ongoing public consultation.
SFRS responded to more than 74,000 incidents across Scotland during 2024-25.
Statistics also show this year so far, 12 wildfire risk warnings have been issued throughout March to August covering 59 days of heightened risk.
Since February 2025, the Service has responded to 231 large outdoor fires with many regions of the country affected and some fires burning for days.
The SFRS also presented its Wildfire Strategy which launched in 2023. This three-year strategy includes a spend of around £1.6 million. This has included the provision of 400 sets of specialist wildfire Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), 10 all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), 10 ATV trailers, as well as four dedicated wildfire 4x4 support vans.
To assist with other climate change factors, such as risks from flooding, the Service has invested in flood response PPE as well as providing around 200 life jackets to support water rescue operations.
Also discussed during the meeting was the Service’s prevention and protection work which includes the emergence of battery energy storage systems (BESS). Last year the Service launched a UK-wide lithium-ion battery safety campaign to provide information and safety guidance relating to the safe use, charging, storage and disposal of lithium-ion products to the public.
The Service continues to collaborate with Police Scotland and the Scottish Ambulance Service through the Reform Collaboration Group (RCG) to improve cooperation among the Blue Light Services. Meanwhile, partnership work takes place across Scotland on a large variety of diverse projects to help provide support and resilience to Scotland’s communities.
Further collaborations include partnership working with the Fire Brigades Union and leading academic researchers to mitigate and address the risk to firefighters from fire contaminants. This partnership work includes the Scottish Government CivTech programme which is looking at innovative technologies to track firefighter exposure to fire contaminants and improve health monitoring.
With firefighter and public safety always a top priority, the Service has also introduced a number of enhanced training programmes.
Following the meeting Chief Officer Stuart Stevens said: “We want to be a modern service that is ready for the challenges of Scotland’s future.
“We continue to see the impacts of climate change and this year our firefighters have worked tirelessly on a large number of outdoor fires. Fires of this nature are challenging for our crews and require a tremendous effort from our firefighters, including those who work on call, as well as our Operations Control staff. We continue to thank them for their dedication, professionalism and commitment.
“The Annual Performance Review also emphasises the importance of our continued partnership work as we work to provide protection and resilience for our communities across Scotland.”
Minister for Victims and Community Safety, Siobhan Brown MSP said: “I greatly value the work of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.
“The Annual Performance Review provides an opportunity to reflect on SFRS’s performance and to appreciate all that the service has done over the year.
“We will consider performance against the Scottish Government Fire and Rescue Framework for Scotland, which sets out Ministers’ ambitions and priorities for SFRS as a world-leading, modern, skilled and dynamic fire and rescue service.”
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Notes:
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service launched a Service Delivery Review public consultation on 25 June, which is open until 16 September.
The SFRS urge members of the public to complete the online survey which can be accessed below:
SFRS Service Delivery Review (SDR) Consultation - Scottish Fire and Rescue Services - Citizen Space
Read more about the Service Delivery Review: About the Service Delivery Review | Scottish Fire and Rescue Service
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