A senior officer has warned that Scotland’s fire and rescue service must adapt to meet changing climate change risks amidst significant issues with their ageing estate.

Deputy Assistant Chief Officer Stephen Wright, Head of Service Delivery for the West of Scotland, spoke as the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) launched an online survey on what the emergency service should look like in the future.

He said: “We want to be a modern service that is ready for the challenges of Scotland’s future. To achieve this, there are changes that we must consider. Scotland has changed and so must its fire and rescue service.

“For example, we have spent a long time analysing the changing community risk across the country and we know some of our stations and appliances are located based on historical risk, such as heavy industry that no longer exists.

“As a national emergency service, we must ensure we have the right resources, in the right place, at the right time.”

He also struck a cautionary tone on the topic of the SFRS’s estate noting that a number of fire stations across Scotland have been deemed “not fit for purpose” and require urgent investment to make them safer and more suitable.

Almost half of fire stations have been deemed in "poor or bad" condition - with a massive 75% considered “unsuitable” - while two-thirds of the total SFRS estate across Scotland is more than 30 years old.

The problem is particularly bad in the 14 stations containing Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) panels, the same panels that dominated headlines last summer when 100s of UK schools were found to be at risk of collapse.

SFRS has been forced to install temporary supports to reinforce areas of the roofing in each of the RAAC-affected stations, a situation which requires constant monitoring.

SFRS believe that in most cases the safest and most cost-effective solution is to rebuild these stations, and estimate that replacing the 14 stations with RAAC would cost in the region of £77 million.

DACO Wright added: “Some of our ageing buildings are no longer fit for purpose and require urgent action.

“We have a significant number of fire stations without provisions such as dedicated locker rooms, dignified facilities or sufficient showering facilities.

“Our buildings need to be safe, provide welfare facilities and comply with guidelines around decontamination after incidents to help protect our firefighters’ health.

“While we welcome the uplift in our capital budget, we do not have the budget to address this and doing nothing is simply not an option. We must find a permanent solution.

“By moving or merging stations in similar geographical locations, for example, we could address some of these welfare concerns while ensuring that we are best placed to meet the changing community risk across Scotland.”

He also highlighted the changing nature of the fire service’s responsibilities, with climate change expected to exacerbate the frequency and intensity of wildfires and floods in coming years.

Whilst the number of house fires in Scotland has fallen by almost 50% in the last 20 years, the rate of non-fire incidents such as flooding, road traffic collisions, rescues and assisting other agencies has increased by 83% over the past decade.

He said: “Last year we saw extreme weather events that placed an unprecedented demand on our emergency service. “This included one of the largest wildfires on record at Cannich in the Highlands and Storm Babet, which devastated many communities in the north east.

“These types of incidents require the deployment of hundreds of firefighters and often occur in areas where we do not have permanently staffed stations.

“We have prioritised investment and bolstered our fleet in recent years with the addition of 20 specialist water rescue boats and the implementation of 25 dedicated wildfire stations across Scotland.

“But we expect climate change to intensify and present further challenges that we must be prepared to meet.”

SFRS is asking communities in Glasgow and the West of Scotland to voice their opinions on possible changes to the location of its firefighters and fire stations.

The survey is open until the end of June and views gathered will help to develop change options for full public consultation later this year.

He added: “We are calling on people across the country to share their feedback and tell us what you want from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.

“We know we can do more to keep Scotland safe. We want to focus on prevention to make communities safer so we can reduce demand on both us and other public services.

“For example, we want to develop the role of our firefighters to take on more prevention work in our communities or support partners with emergency response activities, however this would require investment.

“Our communities are changing with more people living longer at home who need additional support. “The benefits to the people of Scotland in working closer with our public service partners could be significant.”

Shaping Our Future Service: Your Say survey runs until June 30.