Frequently asked questions

What is the Service Delivery Review?

The Service Delivery Review (SDR) is looking at where the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s (SFRS) resources – staff, fire stations and appliances – are best placed so that they are matched to operational risk and demand across Scotland.  This includes where fire stations are based, as well as how and when we crew our appliances.

Why is the Service Delivery Review being carried out?

SFRS’ operational footprint has remained largely unchanged for many years, despite changing community risks as well as the need for a more sustainable and modern response model.

What are the potential benefits of change?

SFRS must match operational resources to risk and demand, ensuring fire cover where it is needed most.

By making changes, SFRS can also free up staff and resources to invest more in firefighter training and prevention work in communities.

Was this review purely financially driven?

No. SDR is a long-term strategic redesign of services and not a short-term savings exercise. However, like all public sector organisations, SFRS faces financial challenges and this is one consideration.

How does SFRS know community risk has changed?

SFRS is guided by the Community Risk Index Model (CRIM) which uses a wide range of data sources to generate a fire and rescue risk score for each of the 6,976 data zones within Scotland.

It has been evaluated by academic experts in the fields of data analytics and statistical learning.

It works by using an algorithm, which identifies the links between factors within the human, built and natural environments, the likelihood of different incident types occurring and the potential severity of those incidents.

Community risk will continue to change because the places we go and the way we do things evolve from year to year. SFRS has been able to observe some of these changes by analysing trends in the occurrence of different incident types and their consequences in terms of the level of harm they cause.

 SDR is the culmination of several years of work during which time we have analysed changing community risk across Scotland.

Why was a public consultation required?

As a statutory service provider, SFRS has a legal duty to consult with our stakeholders and involve them in the decision-making processes regarding the service we provide.

In addition, involving external stakeholders, particularly members of the public, can bring highly valuable local insight and knowledge that can help improve our decision-making and ensure that we meet the needs and expectations of the communities we serve.

What was considered as part of the public consultation?

SFRS has launched a 12-week public consultation which proposes 23 options for change. These include the relocation, merger and closure of selected fire stations, as well as changes to the shift patterns of firefighters at targeted locations.

This phase of the SDR will concentrate on key strategic priorities, including:

• Stations affected by reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).
• Consolidation of the temporary withdrawal of ten 2nd or 3rd wholetime appliances.
• Stations classified as long-term dormant.

What were the timescales of the public consultation?

• June 2025: A 12-week public consultation commences, gathering input from staff, stakeholders, and communities across Scotland.
• September 2025: Public consultation closes.
• 22 June 2026: Final decisions were made by SFRS Board.

What reassurance can SFRS give on local fire cover?

The objective of the Service Delivery Review (SDR) is to gradually move towards more consistent levels of fire cover across Scotland - which align with the operational risk and demand.

All options have been carefully developed through computer modelling and analysis to minimise negative impacts and provide a better balance with other similar areas of Scotland

Will this review see a reduction of wholetime firefighter numbers?

No. The options being considered do not represent a reduction in wholetime staffing numbers. Instead, any changes would see the reinvestment of resources to improve operational resilience where required and bolster other safety critical roles across training and prevention.

What is a day shift duty system?

The day shift duty system (DSDS), which has been implemented at Livingston fire station in West Lothian, sees employees work Monday to Friday between 8am and 6pm.

DSDS aligns the working time of employees with maintaining operational availability at busy periods.

It reduces the need for pre-arranged overtime and maintains operational cover during periods which are challenging for maintaining on call availability.

What is a nucleus crew?

A nucleus crew is a suitably sized group of operational employees (Crew Commanders and Firefighters) providing the skills and services required across a particular cluster of on call fire stations. The crew typically work during mid-week, day-shift hours (8am to 6pm) either working together or dispersed across on call stations within the cluster. 

What is a long-term dormant station?

Long-term dormant stations are those that have been unable to maintain availability of the minimum number of suitably skilled personnel to crew an appliance for an extended period. All reasonable steps to recruit sufficient crew have been exhausted and analysis of the current and anticipated recruitment pool suggests that it will not be possible for the local community to provide and sustain a viable on call crew. Crew members do not contribute to alternative incident response arrangements and community risk and incident demand are low and can be mitigated through targeted prevention activity.

How will SFRS support staff affected by change?

Staff on impacted stations are being informed and supported in a timely and appropriate manner. SFRS local management teams have been carrying out an extensive engagement programme with all staff on affected stations. Any changes in the future will be carefully planned with staff wellbeing as a top priority. If amendments to employment contracts become necessary because of any changes, these will be managed by taking individual preferences into account, balanced against organisational needs, utilising SFRS policies where applicable. 

What engagement has SFRS had with representative bodies so far?

Extensive engagement with representative bodies has been a key part of the process up to this point and that will continue as we progress.

What are the final decisions of the Board?

The Board met on Monday, 22 June, 2026 to consider and decide whether the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service should proceed with a suite of recommendations developed from the 23 options for change consulted on during 2025. The final decisions are available here: Changes to more than 30 fire stations approved by SFRS Board | Scottish Fire and Rescue Service

What information was presented to the Board to help them reach their decisions?

Overall, the Board's decisions were informed by a comprehensive package of information. This included findings from an extensive public consultation exercise alongside detailed operational modelling and analysis, Equality and Human Rights Impact Assessments (EHRIAs), Island Communities Impact Assessments (ICIAs), financial and resource considerations, risk and benefit assessments, and the recommendations of the Service’s Strategic Leadership team. View the  Board papers from the meeting.

What are some of the benefits of the Service Delivery Review and future changes?

The Service Delivery Review will bring several changes to ensure the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service operates as a sustainable, equitable national emergency service to create a safer Scotland for all. The programme will improve operational effectiveness by enabling better deployment of staff and resources, and developing a more skilled and flexible workforce aligned to changing risk and operational demand. It will also deliver financial and estate benefits through reduced running costs, avoided future capital spend, potential asset sales, and a more modern, efficient estate. Upon implementation of all changes approved by the Board: Scotland will have an additional wholetime appliance introduced into our current operational model. This will be based in East Lothian. Two new fire stations will be built, underlining reinvestment, which will see the construction of new modern facilities at Cowcaddens in Glasgow and Tranent in East Lothian. More than 60 posts from areas with lower operational demand will be redeployed into other safety-critical roles across prevention, training and operational delivery. Around 20 new on call roles will be created with additional targeted recruitment campaigns to be launched.  

What is the timescale for changes to be implemented?

Detailed implementation planning will now be undertaken, with continued engagement with staff, representative bodies, and stakeholders to ensure that any changes are introduced safely and appropriately. The delivery of all changes will be expected within the next five years. This reflects the scale and complexity of the programme, as well as the need to carefully manage operational and workforce impacts. Some changes will require an extended planning and phased implementation, such as those involving duty system changes, the recruitment of new on call staff, station closures, or new builds. Other options, such as the closure of long-term dormant stations with no existing staff, can be delivered more quickly.

How can SFRS proceed with a change that was opposed during the public consultation?

We recognise that some proposals have faced local opposition and raised concerns about perceived reductions in service. Consultation is a process to gather feedback, identify local factors, and consider alternative evidence to support informed decision‑making. All responses have been carefully considered and have shaped recommendations, including amendments and mitigations where appropriate. While stakeholder views are important, the Board also had to consider statutory obligations, financial implications, equality duties, operational evidence, and wider strategic SFRS objectives. As such, the strength of public feeling alone cannot determine the outcome; consistent with established guidance, consultation is intended to inform decisions, which must ultimately be made on the overall merits of each proposal.

How have consultation responses informed the decisions or changes to any options?

Consultation feedback has played a clear role in shaping both the development of recommendations, mitigations and final decision-making. We have demonstrated that we have listened to concerns by adapting proposals. For example, adding a wholetime day shift resource in East Lothian to strengthen on call resilience; identifying the need for further work in eastern Edinburgh; and committing to revisit arrangements in Fife following feedback. In other areas, consultation has led to enhanced mitigations, such as exploring alternative crewing models, reviewing on call sustainability, and increasing targeted prevention activity. Feedback has also informed the selection of preferred options where multiple approaches exist, ensuring that decisions better reflect local context, stakeholder insight, and longer‑term planning considerations.

Can the decision(s) be appealed?

There is no formal appeal mechanism associated with the SDR consultation process. The public consultation phase of 12 weeks provided an opportunity for communities, elected members, partners, and other stakeholders to submit views and alternative suggestions, all of which have been considered as part of the review process.

What are the next steps for the deferred / do not proceed decisions?

We are actively considering next steps and will update staff, local communities and other stakeholders as and when matters develop.

Can I read the responses from the public consultation?

All consultation responses and associated documentation are publicly available and formed part of the evidence considered by the Board in reaching its decision.

How will SFRS review and monitor the impact of changes?

SFRS has well-established governance arrangements to scrutinise service performance, evaluate outcomes, and hold the Service to account. In implementing all Service Delivery Review decisions, a detailed benefits realisation and monitoring framework will be developed to assess the impact of changes, track whether intended benefits are being achieved, and identify any issues requiring further action. Progress and performance will be regularly reported through existing governance structures, with oversight from the SFRS Board and its Committees.