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Technical Notes 2026, Issue 88 - SFRS Service Delivery Review – Outcome of Board Decision

  • Report by:

    Ann Davie, Chief Executive

  • TN Number:

    088-26

  • Subject:

    SFRS Service Delivery Review – Outcome of Board Decision

  • Responsible Officer:

    Ann Davie, Chief Executive

  • Publication:

    This Technical Note will be published on the Council’s website following circulation to Members. Its contents may be disclosed or shared out with the Council.

  • We have now received email confirmation from Joe McKay, Local Senior Officer for East and West Dunbartonshire, and Argyll and Bute, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS), on the outcome of its Service Delivery Review process confirming the following:

“On behalf of Joe McKay, I am writing to update you following the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) Board meeting on Monday, 22 June, at which members considered the outcome of the Service Delivery Review (SDR).                               

The Board considered the recommendations developed from the 23 options for change consulted on during 2025 and agreed a suite of measures to support the continued modernisation of the Service and ensure operational resources are aligned to changing risk and demand across Scotland.

The Service Delivery Review is intended to ensure resources are in the right place to meet current and future risks, such as climate change, by enhancing prevention efforts in our communities and safety critical training for our staff.

These decisions have been taken with community safety and firefighter safety as the primary considerations, while ensuring the Service remains sustainable, effective and fit for the future.

Throughout the review process, there have been extensive efforts to engage with communities, staff, stakeholders and elected members to fully understand their views. The feedback received through consultation has been invaluable in informing the recommendations considered by the Board.

I would like to thank you, and colleagues across East Dunbartonshire, for your continued engagement and support throughout this process.

We recognise that this review has been challenging and, at times, emotive for some communities and members of staff affected by the proposals. We have taken great care to analyse the feedback received and ensure it has been given thorough and considered attention.

As one of our key partners, I wanted to ensure you were informed of the Board's decisions.

The decisions from the Board meeting are listed below for ease of reference. The recommendations put forward to the SFRS Board remain available on the SFRS website, with formal minutes to be published in due course.

Following the Board's decisions, individual consultation will now be undertaken with affected employees in line with existing SFRS policies and procedures. Detailed delivery plans will also be developed to support implementation of the agreed changes over the next five years.

We remain committed to working closely with local authorities and partners throughout implementation. Should you wish to discuss any aspect of the Board's decisions, or any implications for our shared work to keep communities safe across East Dunbartonshire, I would be pleased to arrange a meeting with you.

Thank you again for your continued support and partnership”.

  • For East Dunbartonshire, and in particular Milngavie, the following has been confirmed:

    East Dunbartonshire

    • Introduce an alternative duty system for the appliance at Milngavie, which is currently crewed by wholetime firefighters. This would see the appliance crewed by wholetime firefighters during day shift hours from Monday to Friday between 8am and 6pm and crewed by on-call firefighters out with these hours. 

SFRS BOARD DECISIONS IN FULL – Monday 22 June 2026

    • Long-term dormant stations (without staff)

    • Close the long-term dormant station at Crianlarich (Stirlingshire)
    • Close the long-term dormant station on the isle of Fetlar (Shetland)

    • Close the long-term dormant station at Nethy Bridge (Highland)

    • Close the long-term dormant station at Ratagan (Highland)

    • Close the long-term dormant station on the Isle of Muck (Highland)

  • Long-term dormant stations (with employees and no applicants)

    • Approve the commencement of redundancy consultation with affected staff on the potential closure of Colintraive (Argyll and Bute) which has employees but no prospective applicants, to inform final decision pending the outcome of employee consultation

    •  Approve the commencement of redundancy consultation with affected staff on the potential closure of Corriecravie (isle of Arran, North Ayrshire), which has employees but no prospective applicants, to inform final decision pending the outcome of employee consultation.

  • Long-term dormant stations (with employees and applicants)

    • Approve the commencement of redundancy consultation at this point with affected staff on the potential closure of Kerrera (Argyll and Bute), which has employees and applicants but insufficient potential for long term sustainability, to inform final decision pending the outcome of employee consultation.

East Service Delivery Area

  • Edinburgh and East Lothian

    • Close Musselburgh station which has one appliance that is crewed by wholetime firefighters. Move this appliance to a new-build two appliance station at Tranent, with one crewed by wholetime firefighters and one crewed by on-call firefighters; AND additionally, introduce additional wholetime dayshift resource to support on-call capacity in East Lothian and resilience more widely
    • Do not proceed with the Edinburgh component (Marionville and Newcraighall).

  •  Fife

    • Permanently replace the third appliance at Dunfermline which was a combined aerial rescue pump (CARP), with a dedicated high reach appliance (HRA), and defer decision on the remainder of the options pending further consideration of an alternative proposal to permanently implement the current temporary wholetime pump withdrawal configuration. This reduced the number of wholetime appliances at both Glenrothes AND Methil from two to one. 

  • Scottish Borders

    • Introduce Day Shift Duty System crewing for the 1st pumping appliance at Hawick station, which is currently crewed by wholetime firefighters. This would see this appliance crewed by wholetime firefighters during the day from Monday to Friday. It would be crewed by on-call firefighters out with these times. The 2nd pumping appliance would continue to be crewed by on-call firefighters; AND as an amendment to the proposed Nucleus Crew at Galashiels, there is a commitment to explore arrangements for deploying additional wholetime employees in support of on-call availability during day-shift hours when this is most challenging. 

North Service Delivery Area

  • Dundee city and Monifieth

    • Remove the wholetime appliance from Balmossie station and maintain one on-call appliance at the station; AND reinstate the second wholetime appliance at Kingsway East station that was temporarily removed in September 2023. 

  • Perth and Kinross

    • Replace the third appliance at Perth, which is a combined aerial rescue pump (CARP) with a dedicated high reach appliance (HRA). The pumping capability of the third appliance (CARP) was temporarily withdrawn and only its HRA capability has been utilised since September 2023.

West Service Delivery Area

  • Argyll and Bute

    • Introduce an alternative duty system for the first appliance at Helensburgh, which is currently crewed by wholetime firefighters. This would see that appliance crewed by wholetime firefighters during the day from Monday to Friday and crewed by on-call firefighters out with these hours. The second on-call appliance would remain unchanged. 

  • East Dunbartonshire

    • Introduce an alternative duty system for the appliance at Milngavie, which is currently crewed by wholetime firefighters. This would see the appliance crewed by wholetime firefighters during day shift hours from Monday to Friday between 8am and 6pm and crewed by on-call firefighters out with these hours. 

  • Glasgow

    • Rebuild Cowcaddens on the adjacent Maitland Street site. Reinstate the second wholetime pumping appliance that was temporarily withdrawn in September 2023; AND Reduce the number of wholetime pumping appliances based at Springburn from two to one; AND Close Yorkhill which has one wholetime pumping appliance based there; AND Reinstate the second wholetime appliance at Maryhill that was temporarily withdrawn in September 2023; AND Reduce the number of wholetime appliances based at Govan from two to one. The second appliance was temporarily withdrawn in September 2023. 

  • Inverclyde

    • Replace the second wholetime appliance at Greenock, which is a combined aerial rescue pump (CARP) with a dedicated high reach appliance. The second appliance (CARP) was temporarily withdrawn and replaced with a high reach appliance (HRA) in September 2023. 

  • Lanarkshire

    • Introduce an alternative duty system for the second appliance at Cumbernauld, which is currently crewed by wholetime firefighters. This would see that appliance crewed by wholetime firefighters during the day from Monday to Friday and crewed by on-call firefighters out with these times. The first wholetime appliance would be unchanged; AND reduce the number of wholetime appliances based at Hamilton from two to one. The second appliance was temporarily withdrawn in September 2023.