Helicopters to be put on standby when wildfire risk is high

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) will be able to put helicopters on standby when there is a heightened risk of wildfires, the justice secretary has said.

Neil Gray said aerial water bombing was a key part of the effort to deal with a major blaze in the Cairngorms this summer, but helicopters were not available until about 36 hours after the fire broke out.

He said SFRS would be able to use a current contractual framework to prepare commercial helicopters to be mobilised when they might be needed.

Gray also called for England, Wales and Northern Ireland to work with Scotland to deal with an "increased risk" of wildfires caused by climate change.

Speaking in the Scottish Parliament, Gray said the wildfire that burned in the Cairngorms, near Aviemore, for almost five weeks was one of 58 incidents in Scotland this year.

It broke out near Glenmore and burned across about 10 sq miles (25 sq km) of moorland and forestry.

Some homes and campsites had to be evacuated, and at the height of the incident more than 500 firefighters were involved in the response.

The Cairngorms National Park Authority said two specialist helicopters were "invaluable" for waterbombing hard-to-reach areas.

Work continues in the area to monitor for hotspots.

Grey said rescue services in England and Wales responded to 342 wildfires in the first six months of this year.

The minister said SFRS operational commanders had made it clear helicopters were not a "silver bullet" which immediately extinguished every fire as soon as they were deployed.

"It is most effective in combination with a properly resourced ground attack," he added.

"However, it is a matter of record that helicopter firefighting assets were not available at the beginning of this wildfire and only came on site within around 36 hours after the start of the incident.

"They were then used extensively through different phases of the incident when they were available and when they could make an active contribution to the response effort."

Gray called for four-nation collaboration and also military support.

He said: "Wildfires are no longer a seasonal hazard; they are a direct impact of climate change which is fuelling an increase in both the frequency and severity of wildfires.

"As everyone is aware, there has been extreme weather across the world this year and wildfires were a feature across many European countries this summer with incredibly devastating impacts."

Gray said the response to the Cairngorms incident would be reviewed.

Scottish Conservative MSP Tim Eagle accused the Scottish government of watching from the "sidelines for almost two weeks" as emergency services and volunteers dealt with the wildfire.

He said: "Scottish Fire and Rescue desperately needed air support during the devastating Cairngorms wildfire.

"So this indication, albeit too late for communities still recovering, of helicopter availability is a good start."

Ross Ewing from landowners organisation Scottish Land and Estates said: "This is a significant and practical step from the Scottish government which we strongly welcome."

Last month, Scotland's chief fire officer called for an improved, more formal approach to wildfire prevention in order to "protect lives".

In an open letter, chief officer Stuart Stevens said he had commissioned a formal debrief on the incident and called for government, public services, land managers, businesses and communities to work together to reduce the growing threat of wildfires.

He described wildfires as "dynamic, unpredictable and dangerous".

He warned that they posed an increasing and changing risk and could not be addressed through emergency response alone.