Scottish Lib Dem Conference backs review of fire service following Cairngorms blaze

At their autumn conference, Scottish Liberal Democrats have backed calls for SNP ministers to review the state of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, as the party's Highland MSPs said that the government's current approach to wildfires is not fit for purpose.

Following the blaze that raged across the Cairngorms during the summer, the party led a debate on wildfires in the Scottish Parliament.

More than 2,500 hectares of moorland and forest were destroyed in the fire. It led to the evacuation of residents in Nethy Bridge, with smoke spreading all the way out to Aberdeen.

SNP ministers delayed chairing a meeting of their Resilience Room, convened at times of emergency, by more than a week. When it was eventually held, the SNP government refused an offer of UK military support to help tackle the wildfire.

The Scottish Liberal Democrat motion calls on the SNP government to:

• Convene a cross-party summit with relevant stakeholders in order to learn the lessons of the Cairngorms wildfire so that communities are not let down again
• Commission a probe to review the current state of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and identify what steps need to be taken to ensure that the service can tackle major incidents without experiencing undue pressure on resources.

Party members also backed an amendment which calls for the Scottish Government to increase public investment in peatland restoration and new native woodland to enhance the resilience of Scotland's landscape.

Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch Andrew Baxter MSP, who also moved the motion, said:

The Cairngorms wildfire exposed the devastating consequences of being underprepared for the new climate threat facing Scotland's rural communities.

The SNP government's action plan on wildfires, and their subsequent response, fell grossly short of what was needed.

We need to be clear: it is not a case of if the next fire strikes- it is a case of when.

Our plans would ensure that whenever that is, the government can show the leadership it sorely lacked in the summer.

Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP for the Highlands and Islands region Morven-May MacCallum said:

The Scottish Government's current approach to wildfires is not fit for purpose.

That approach left communities across the Cairngorms extremely vulnerable. Residents were forced to flee their homes. What should have been a thriving summer season became a nightmare for local businesses.

With Scotland experiencing hotter and drier summers, we need a government that is far more proactive, far more prepared.

The proposals we are setting out would bring together ministers, fire teams, local authorities, land managers and more so that communities are not let down again.

Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross David Green MSP said:

The government needs to learn the lessons from this summer- this is not a time for squabbling.

"We have heard on a recent visit to Reay Forest Estate how many land managers are working hard and working fast to develop technology to counter the threat of wildfires.

"What cannot happen is that the government wastes more time in developing its response to such events as it did before.

"There have been enough warnings - now is the time to support our over-stretched fire fighters, emergency services and estate and rural workers with action".

ENDS

Notes to editors

Scottish Liberal Democrats have also published a dossier exposing the state of the country's fire service.

 This revealed that:

• Scottish Fire and Rescue had to pay almost £6 million in overtime payments last year, up by a third in the last five years from £4.5 million in 2021/22.
• Mental health absences have skyrocketed, from 4,219 days lost in 2021/22 to 12,132 days in 2025/26.
• Almost a third of full-time equivalent retained firefighter posts are unfilled.

The full conference motion is as follows:

SC3: Protecting Scotland Against Wildfires

Submitted by member signatories

Mover: Andrew Baxter MSP Summator: TBC

Conference notes:

1. In the last few years, Scotland has seen a rise in the number of wildfires, most notably on Dava Moor, within the Cairngorm National Park and on Arthur's Seat. Land management practices and climate change mean it is likely we will see more.

2. The tackling of wildfires requires an intensive use of resources by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Services, with more than 100 firefighters required to tackle the wildfire in the Cairngorms.

3. Communities can also be impacted by the increasing number of wildfires, with residents of Nethy Bridge having to temporarily evacuate and local businesses forced to close during the Cairngorm wildfire.

4. The Scottish Government has published a Strategic Action Plan to tackle wildfires in March 2026 and announced a fund for the businesses affected by the Cairngorms Wildfire in August 2026.

5. The UK Government has issued a temporary ban on the selling of disposable barbeques, due to the significant risk they can pose in hot and dry conditions.

6. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service say that Scotland's wildfire season is extending and that climate change is playing a major role in making these destructive fires even more dangerous.

Conference believes:

1. As Scotland begins to experience hotter and drier summers, we need to make sure we are prepared for the heightened risk of wildfires that these types of summer bring.

2. On the ground firefighting personnel, alongside community volunteers, should be commended for their work in tackling these blazes, especially given the pressure they place on an already stretched service.

3. Despite the Scottish Government's publication of its action plan, their response to the Cairngorms wildfire fell short and that lessons must be learnt so that other communities are not let down when the next wildfire arises.

4. Wildfires have a negative impact on both plants and animals. In some locations they can negate many years of nature conservation work. Rewetted landscapes are more resilient to extreme weather conditions and climate change; and nature-based solutions can help to tackle wildfires by restoring degraded landscapes to better retain moisture, naturally blocking fire spread and reducing flammable vegetation.

Conference calls for the Scottish Government to:

1. convene a cross-party summit with relevant stakeholders in order to learn the lessons of the Cairngorms wildfire so that communities are not let down again.

2. commission a probe to review the current state of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and identify what steps need to be taken to ensure the service can tackle major incidents without experiencing undue pressure on resources.

3. Make Scotland's landscape more resilient by increasing public investment - alongside incentivising private investment - in peatland restoration; and by ensuring that a higher proportion of publicly funded forestry grants go towards new native woodland and enabling much more natural woodland regeneration.