Home / Environment / Scotland readies choppers for wildfire war
Scotland readies choppers for wildfire war
3 Sep
Summary
- Scotland to use helicopters for wildfire standby.
- Cairngorms wildfire response highlighted helicopter delays.
- Climate change fuels increased wildfire frequency and severity.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) will now have helicopters on standby during periods of heightened wildfire risk. Justice Secretary Neil Gray highlighted that aerial water bombing was critical during a nearly five-week wildfire in the Cairngorms this summer, though such assets were delayed in their deployment.
This new preparedness will leverage existing contractual frameworks to ensure commercial helicopters can be mobilized quickly when needed. The Cairngorms wildfire, which burned approximately 25 sq km of moorland and forestry near Glenmore, required the evacuation of some homes and campsites and involved over 500 firefighters at its peak.
Gray emphasized that wildfires are a direct consequence of climate change, leading to increased frequency and severity globally. He called for enhanced collaboration between Scotland, England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, as well as potential military support, to address this growing hazard.
Landowners have welcomed the Scottish government's practical step. Scotland's chief fire officer had previously called for a more formal approach to wildfire prevention, describing them as dynamic, unpredictable, and dangerous, necessitating a collective effort beyond emergency response alone.
