Volunteers urged to join firefighter partnership

People in rural areas with specialist skills, vehicles or equipment are being invited to sign up to an “innovative” partnership with firefighters.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) has created a Community Asset Register (CAR), a database of people in isolated areas with assets such as boats and 4x4s or specialist skills in fields like mountain rescue.

It means volunteers can now be quickly identified through the register, which can be activated by fire control rooms during a serious emergency, to enhance the service’s response.

The register will also be available to local authorities and the other emergency services.

The fire service said a number of volunteers with access to private vehicles that can be used to cross water or negotiate rough terrain had already signed up.

News of the initiative came after it was reported last week that fire chiefs had banned firefighters from driving ambulances to enable paramedics to continue treating casualties.

The restriction came despite the Scottish Ambulance Service saying it could authorise anyone with the correct licence to drive its vehicles.

It later emerged that fire chiefs would reverse the ban.