Firefighters from the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) take part in the Cuts Leave Scars rally outside the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, October 26, 2023
SCOTLAND’S firefighters have warned cuts to the service are dangerous as north-west Scotland faces an “extreme risk of wildfires” this weekend.
Britain’s largest recorded wildfire ripped through Cannich, near Loch Ness, almost a year ago to devastating effect, and now the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) has urged vigilance on anyone visiting or living in the rural west Highlands over the weekend to be vigilant amid fears of a repeat.
SFRS Group Commander Niall MacLennan urged the public to “think twice before using anything involving a naked flame,” adding: “These fires can destroy livestock, farmland, wildlife, protected woodland and sites of special scientific interest, as well as the lives of people living and working in rural communities.
The FBU is demanding 52 weeks of full pay for women firefighters, highlighting the unique health risks they face — and the continuing need to recruit and retain more women if policies like this are still not in place, writes SEONA HART
When it comes to extreme weather events, from wildfires to flash floods, it’s firefighters who are on the front line of defence, but services have been cut to the bone, and government is not taking seriously its responsibility for the environment, says STEVE WRIGHT