WILDFIRE ALARM

Lack of investment has left crews dangerously ill-equipped

- BY HANNAH RODGER

FIREFIGHTERS have warned they are dangerously ill-equipped to cope with Scotland's growing number of wildfires.

The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has blamed the Scottish Government for years of underinvestment it claims is now leaving lives at risk in rural communities.

Scotland has the highest risk of wildfires in the UK with experts predicting the chance of serious outbreaks will double in the next 30 years due to climate change.

Firefighter representatives are urging ministers to take action and upgrade the service so people are not put at risk.

Colin Brown, Executive Council Member at FBU Scotland said: "It's the perfect storm - everything that can be done wrong has been done wrong.

"We've seen the loss of more than 1200 firefighter posts in Scotland since 2012. About 70 per cent of the 356 stations we have are deemed inappropriate for use. It has to change."