The Minister is facing new calls to strengthen Scotland’s wildfire response. This saw land managers and gamekeepers on the front line following the main flames of Shuiside and Moreisher.
Recent rainfall has helped mitigate the imminent threat a few days after heavy firefighters, but serious concern remains in smoldering hotspots, particularly in deep peat regions, which encourage continued monitoring by local land managers.
The Scottish Lands & Estates (SLE), which represents rural businesses across the country, is urging the Scottish government to take critical action to improve its preparation and response capabilities.
Among the key recommendations is an increase in investment in Scotland’s Fire and Rescue Services (SFRS). This includes providing all-terrain vehicles, cloudy units and waterbowsers, ensuring that crews are properly equipped to tackle wildfires.
SLE also calls for the urgent and wide range of specialized training in wildfire control techniques, such as backburning and fire creation. Some training has begun, but the organization argues that it needs to expand significantly.
A full review of Scotland’s aerial firefighting capabilities is also being encouraged. SLE proposes the creation of dedicated SFRS aerial commands to allow for faster helicopter mobilization and more effective containment efforts.
Additionally, the organization advocates that the government invest in wildfire risk assessment assessments. This is a tool that is deemed important to improve risk awareness and inform future prevention strategies.
Ross Ewing, director of SLE Moorland, said the recent fires have highlighted the reliance on Scottish private land managers in such an emergency.
“Scottish Fire and Rescue Service played an important role in the incident, especially in the command, control and coordination, but in reality, the majority of practical firefighters were carried out by gamekeepers using their equipment, experience and local knowledge,” he said.
“Without that prompt response from the land management community, the situation could have been much worse, and concerns remain that flare-ups could still occur.
“Their efforts have been exceptional, but we cannot rely on goodwillfires and geography to bring about a reliable wildfire response.”
He added that private investment in personnel and specialized equipment had hampered much more serious consequences, but warned that systematic shortcomings were exposed.
“This incident exposes the true weakness of the public’s resilience to wildfires,” Ewing said. “It took until Monday for the helicopter to unfold despite requests made over the weekend, and that is not enough for an important hourly situation.
“We also know that SFRS teams do not yet have universal access to the equipment and training needed to effectively respond to these rapidly moving incidents. Scottish firefighters should receive regular training in the use of fires to the backburn and in the occurrence of fires.
“The government must now show leadership and commit to a long-term strategy backed by meaningful investments.”
