Fire service's 999 response time is slowest in decade

THE SNP's “savage and sustained budget cuts” have been blamed for a life-threatening surge in fire service response times to 999 calls.

- By Ben Borland

Figures obtained by the Scottish Conservatives reveal response times to emergency calls to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service are slower than at any point in the past 10 years.

They have slowed almost every consecutive year between 2014 and 2024, including for calls where it was considered there was a high risk of casualty.

In 2014, it took a median of six minutes and 51 seconds for an appliance to arrive on site after a 999 call. By 2024, this had increased to eight minutes and 20 seconds a rise of 21%.

There was a similar increase among cases classified as “possible life-risk incidents”, meaning there was a high risk of encountering a casualty.

In 2014, the median time was 7 minutes and 13 seconds. By 2024, it was 8 minutes and 42 seconds a 20% rise.