Scottish Fire and Rescue Service - Working together for a Safer Scotland

Information is provided on how the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service meets national priorities and objectives whilst delivering performance to a high standard that keeps residents safe from the risk of fire.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) was established on 1^st April 2013, bringing together the collective skills and experience from across Scotland's previous eight fire and rescue services.

Whilst a firefighters role is pretty straightforward - to prevent and control fires but, as any of the 8,000 firefighters will tell you, there's much more to the job than that.

The best way to deal with an emergency is to prevent it from happening in the first place, and their role starts long before any 999 call is made. They work in close partnership with local communities right across Scotland to deliver crucial safety messages in the fight against fire.

The Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012 requires the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to have a strategic plan to set out their intentions.

Priorities and Objectives

SFRS MISSION: "Working Together for a Safer Scotland"

The SFRS Strategy 2025-2028 consultation closed on 2 April 2025 and sets their national direction and shapes their approach to how they plan and deliver their services. SFRS Strategy for 2025-28 is now available | Scottish Fire and Rescue Service . They also have a long-term vision, setting their direction for the next ten years

SFRS VISION: "To be a leading, sustainable, modern and technologically advanced fire and rescue service that is fit to meet the challenges of Scotland's future. The vision of a safer Scotland drives performance in every area and at every level of the Service; it sets the agenda and fuels the efforts of each and every member of staff.

Why we need the SFRS Strategy

The new SFRS Strategy clearly outline their goals and direction. It specifies what we all need to work towards. Having a strategy like this is important for any organisation.

SFRS PURPOSE remains the same: "To work in partnership with communities and with others in the public, private and third sectors, on prevention, protection and response, to improve the safety and wellbeing of people throughout Scotland." - Fire and Rescue Framework for Scotland 2022.

The Strategy will be delivered through the SFRS Three-Year Delivery Plan and supported by Directorate Plans.

The SFRS work in tandem with local authorities and Community Planning Partnerships to ensure a focused approach and will support the delivery of the Local Outcome Improvement Plans, with local risk and need at the forefront. Their progress against these objectives is the subject of close scrutiny and will be measured against defined Performance Indicators. Using quarterly Performance Dashboards, these reports provide progress updates on their detailed delivery plans and targets.

The frontline delivery is measured against key performance indicators such as the numbers of accidental and deliberate fires, road traffic collisions, fire injuries and fatalities.

This plan is the first step in an ongoing journey to become Scotland's sustainable and modern fire and rescue service.