Cairngorms wildfire: Scotland's auditor asked to probe new £1m fire service vehicles that remain out of action

This comes as the wildfire continues to rage after almost three weeks and after residents in Aviemore were told to close their windows and doors after a change in wind direction.

However, there are claims that specialist vehicles purchased by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, which could have been used to tackle the blaze, remained out of action for three years after they were ordered.

Liam Kerr, Conservative MSP for the North East, has written to Auditor General Stephen Boyle asking him to look into the procurement of eight Ford Ranger Ultra-Light Pumping Units. These units were bought in 2023 for £984,000, but were still not operational as of June this year.

Mr Kerr claims a further £51,232 was spent on additional costs and that no business case was ever prepared by the fire service for this purchase.

Get our revamped Steamie newsletter

The fire service was also unable to provide the minutes of any meetings where the purchase of these vehicles was discussed.

He said he uncovered the “deeply alarming” revelations about the vehicle procurement process through Freedom of Information requests and parliamentary questions, raising concerns over governance, procurement oversight and operational resilience.

Mr Kerr said: “These responses from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service are deeply alarming and I believe worthy of further investigation by the Auditor General.

“Firefighters did a remarkable job in fighting the recent wildfires which devastated the Cairngorms and which impacted across the North East, but they didn’t have the resources they needed.

“Serious questions must be asked as to why vehicles which were brought for almost £1 million three years ago are still not in use.

“And the whole process appears to be shrouded in secrecy. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service claims they can’t produce minutes of any minutes or any detail about why there is such a delay in these vehicles becoming operational.

“Wildfires like these are going to become more frequent and firefighters cannot be asked to tackle them with one hand tied behind their back.”

Mr Kerr says firefighters are already at “breaking point” due to “years of SNP cuts” leading to station closures and a lack of equipment.

He added: “I hope the Auditor General agrees with me that the public deserves to know whether this procurement process was handled appropriately and delivered value for the taxpayer.

“Serious questions remain for SNP ministers and those at the very top of the fire service about this situation.”

Read more: Wildfire: Residents 'upset, angry and frustrated' amid 'apocalyptic' scenes

Kenny Barbour, deputy assistant chief officer at the fire service, said the procurement and design of vehicles is based on operational needs and is subject to regular scrutiny.

He said: “As we have said previously, eight Ford Ranger 4x4 Ultra-Light Pumping appliances were procured in 2023 to replace legacy community response units where required and while these units have the capability to provide support at a wildfire incident, they are not dedicated wildfire appliances.

"Implementation delays are due to industry-wide supply chain challenges and manufacturer-led issues, including recall activity and equipment supplier changes, these challenges did not incur additional cost to the Service.

"The appliances have undergone additional design refinements to equipment layout and will be rolled out over the coming months.”

A spokesman for Audit Scotland said the Auditor General will respond to Mr Kerr soon, and added: “Work is already underway on an audit of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, with the Auditor General planning to report on the service’s estate, fleet and equipment in March 2027.

“This is part of a joint audit and inspection previously agreed with HM Fire Service Inspectorate in Scotland.”