Performance against Orkney Fire and Rescue Plan

Police and Fire Sub-committee: 25 August 2026

Report by Local Senior Officer

1. Overview

1.1

All matters concerning the scrutiny of and engagement with the Police services and the Fire and Rescue Services in terms of the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012 and the Fire (Scotland) Act 2025 respectively, fall within the remit of the Police and Fire Sub-committee.

1.2

The quarterly performance report, attached as Appendix 1 to this report, reflects the performance outcomes outlined within the Orkney Fire and Rescue Plan, and provides performance information for the period 1 April to 30 June 2026.

2. Recommendations

2.1

It is recommended that members of the Sub-committee:

1. Scrutinise the statistical performance of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Services, Orkney Islands area, for the period 1 April to 30 June 2026, detailed in the Quarterly Performance Report, attached as Appendix 1 to this report, in order to obtain assurance that progress is being made against the objectives.

For Further Information please contact:

David McGroarty, Group Commander for Orkney, Telephone 07961572722, Email david.mcgroarty@firescotland.gov.uk.

Implications of Report

1. Financial: None arising directly from this report.
2. Legal: None arising directly from this report.
3. Corporate Governance: Not applicable.
4. Human Resources: Not applicable.
5. Equalities: An Equality Impact Assessment is not required in respect of performance monitoring reports.
6. Island Communities Impact: An Island Communities Impact Assessment is not required in respect of performance monitoring.
7. Links to Council Plan: The proposals in this report support and contribute to improved outcomes for communities as outlined in the following Council Plan strategic priorities:
   • Growing our economy.
   • Strengthening our Communities.
   • Developing our Infrastructure.
   • Transforming our Council.
8. Links to Local Outcomes Improvement Plan: The proposals in this report support and contribute to improved outcomes for communities as outlined in the following Local Outcomes Improvement Plan priorities:
   • Cost of Living.
   • Sustainable Development.
   • Local Equality.
   • Improving Population Health.
9. Environmental and Climate Risk: Not applicable.
10. Risk: Not applicable.
11. Procurement: Not applicable.
12. Health and Safety: Not applicable.
13. Property and Assets: Not applicable.
14. Information Technology: Not applicable.
15. Cost of Living: Not applicable.

List of Background Papers

Local Fire and Rescue Plan for Orkney.

Appendix

Appendix 1: Quarterly Performance Report for the period 1 April to 30 June 2026.

Appendix 1

Orkney Islands

2026–27 Q1 Scrutiny Report

IMAGE: Cover page for Appendix 1 showing a Scottish Fire and Rescue Service vehicle outside a fire station, with the text “Appendix 1”, “Orkney Islands”, “2026-27 Q1”, “Scrutiny Report”, “Working together for a safer Scotland”, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service logo and the Orkney Islands Council logo.

Contents

1. Summary

2. Trends

3. Accidental Dwelling Fires (ADFs)

4. Accidental Dwelling Fire Casualties

5. Non-Fire Casualties

6. Deliberate Fires

7. Non-Domestic Fires

8. Unwanted Fire Alarm Signals (UFAS)

9. Road Traffic Collisions (RTCs)

10. Home Fire Safety Visits (HFSVs)

11. Fire Safety Enforcement

12. Resourcing and Availability

13. Community Safety & Engagement

14. Glossary of Terms

About the statistics within this report

The activity totals and other statistics quoted within this report are published in the interests of transparency and openness. They are provisional in nature and subject to change as a result of ongoing quality assurance and review. Because all statistics quoted are provisional there may be a difference in the period totals quoted in our reports after local publication which result from revisions or additions to the data in our systems. The Scottish Government publishes official statistics each year which allow for comparisons to be made over longer periods of time.

1. Summary

IMAGE: Summary dashboard for 2026-27 Q1. It reports 61 total incidents, including incompletes; 18 fires; 14 non-fire incidents; 27 false alarms; 10 unwanted fire alarm signals; 4 people rescued by firefighters; 0 people receiving first aid or hospital treatment for fires; 0 fire fatalities; 3 people receiving first aid or hospital treatment for non-fire incidents; 0 non-fire fatalities; 67 Home Fire Safety Visits; and 8 Fire Safety Audits.

Top 10 Incident Types

The information above provides a summary of the three-months (1 April – 30 June 2026) activity against headline indicators. It aims to provide an at a glance view of our performance during the Q1 2026/27 reporting period.

Activity has been within the operational capacity of our Orkney based resources.

The following pages will provide further narrative.

2. Trends

IMAGE: Four-year quarterly trend charts for Accidental Dwelling Fires, Deliberate Fires, Non-Domestic Fires, Unwanted Fire Alarm Signals and Road Traffic Collisions. The charts cover quarters from 2022-23 Q2 to 2026-27 Q1. The latest-quarter values are 4 accidental dwelling fires, 3 deliberate fires, 2 non-domestic fires, 10 unwanted fire alarm signals and 3 road traffic collisions.

IMAGE: Four-year quarterly trend charts for Accidental Dwelling Fire Casualties, Non-Fire Casualties, Road Traffic Collision Casualties, Home Fire Safety Visits and Fire Safety Audits. The latest-quarter values are 0 accidental dwelling fire casualties, 3 non-fire casualties, 1 road traffic collision casualty, 67 Home Fire Safety Visits and 8 Fire Safety Audits.

3. Accidental Dwelling Fires

IMAGE: The Accidental Dwelling Fires dashboard reports 4 fires during the period. The four incidents were recorded in Kirkwall East, Kirkwall West and Orphir, North Isles (Orkney), and West Mainland, with 1 incident in each ward. The extent-of-damage table records 3 incidents limited to the item first ignited and 1 incident limited to the room of origin. The sources of ignition were electricity supply, heating equipment, not known and other, with 1 incident in each category.

During this reporting period there were 4 Accidental Dwelling Fires (ADFs) which is slightly higher than the previous reporting period but well within a tolerable threshold. The incidents have been of low significance and limited in the main to the item first ignited.

We continuously monitor local and national trends in order to provide members of the public with the most relevant and up to date home fire safety advice.

4. Accidental Dwelling Fire Casualties

IMAGE: The Accidental Dwelling Fire Casualties dashboard reports 0 non-fatal casualties, 0 fatal casualties and 0 people rescued by firefighters during the period. No casualties are listed in the nature-of-injury table. The dashboard also records 0 people receiving first aid at the scene, 0 hospital slight injuries and 0 hospital serious injuries.

There were 0 ADF Fatalities and 0 ADF Non-Fatal Casualties for this reporting period.

5. Non-Fire Casualties

IMAGE: The Non-Fire Casualties dashboard reports 3 non-fatal casualties, 0 fatal casualties and 4 people rescued by firefighters. The casualties were recorded in East Mainland, South Ronaldsay and a…; Stromness & South Isles; and West Mainland, with 1 in each area. The nature-of-injury table lists bruising, head injury, and unconscious, fitting or unresponsive (no other evident significant injury), with 1 casualty in each category. One person received first aid at the scene, 2 sustained hospital slight injuries and 0 sustained hospital serious injuries.

During this reporting period there was 3 Non-Fatal Non-Fire Casualties, this sees a slight increase compared to the previous period.

6. Deliberate Fires

IMAGE: The Deliberate Fires dashboard reports 3 incidents during the period. Two incidents occurred in West Mainland and 1 in Stromness & South Isles. The property types were grassland, woodland and crops, with 2 incidents, and non-residential, with 1 incident. The hour-of-day chart shows incidents at approximately 16:00, 18:00 and 22:00.

During this period there were 3 Deliberate Fires which is a decrease compared to the previous reporting period.

There continues to be no significant or concerning trends.

7. Non-Domestic Fires

IMAGE: The Non-Domestic Fires dashboard reports 2 incidents during the period. One occurred in East Mainland, South Ronaldsay and Burray and 1 in Stromness & South Isles. The property types were other buildings/use not known and permanent agricultural, with 1 incident each. The incidents were split equally between accidental and deliberate fires, with 1 incident, or 50.0%, in each category. The extent of damage was limited to the item first ignited for 1 incident and involved the whole building for 1 incident.

There was 2 Non-Domestic Fires in this period.

The SFRS made resolution to these incidents and had been assisted by the support of our partner agencies.

8. Unwanted Fire Alarm Signals

IMAGE: The Unwanted Fire Alarm Signals dashboard reports 10 incidents during the period. The incidents occurred in Kirkwall West and Orphir, with 5; Kirkwall East, with 2; Stromness & South Isles, with 2; and North Isles (Orkney), with 1. The property-type table lists hospitals and medical care, residential home and sheltered housing – not self contained, with 2 incidents each; and entertainment and culture, nurses’/doctors’ accommodation, offices and call centres, and public admin, security and safety, with 1 incident each.

There were 10 Unwanted Fire Alarm Signals (UFAS) during this period, which is a slight increase to the previous reporting period. The figures for UFAS continue to remain low following the Service’s change to our attendance at commercial businesses and workplace premises.

Whilst this is an increase from previous reporting periods there are no areas of concern. All duty holders are given support and guidance on how they can reduce their instances of UFAS at the time of call and followed up should it require any additional assistance.

9. Road Traffic Collisions

IMAGE: The Road Traffic Collisions dashboard reports 3 collisions during the period. Two occurred in West Mainland and 1 in Kirkwall East. The property type was car, with 3 incidents, and the incident type was vehicle (non-fire), with 3 incidents. There was 1 non-fatal casualty, 0 fatal casualties and 0 people rescued by firefighters. The casualty received 1 hospital slight injury; no first aid was recorded at the scene and no hospital serious injury was recorded.

There were 3 Road Traffic Collisions (RTCs) which is slight increase compared with the previous reporting period.

There had been 1 Non-Fatal Casualty who had been transferred onwards to hospital with slight injuries.

10. Home Fire Safety Visits

IMAGE: The Home Fire Safety Visits dashboard reports 67 visits. The visits were distributed by ward as follows: Kirkwall East, 17; Kirkwall West and Orphir, 17; West Mainland, 17; North Isles (Orkney), 11; East Mainland, South Ronaldsay and Burray, 3; and Stromness & South Isles, 2.

11. Fire Safety Enforcement

IMAGE: The Audits by Ward chart reports Kirkwall East, 3; Kirkwall West and Orphir, 3; East Mainland, South Ronaldsay and Burray, 1; and West Mainland, 1.

There were 67 Home Fire Safety Visits (HFSVs) undertaken by our personnel during this period. We continue to work with partners and referring agencies to target those at most need and vulnerable to harm within our communities.

Our Fire Safety Enforcement Officers and Auditing Officers have conducted 8 Audits and 1 Consultation within this period.

12. Resourcing and Availability

Orkney Resource Availability

Across Orkney we have 14 On-Call Rescue Appliances operating from 12 Community Fire Stations and are crewed by 102 operational personnel.

The average availability for our resources, outside of our known dormant location, is 78.59%.

Availability and response to incidents can also be bolstered via our Joint mobilising Principles. On occasions where stations are below the requisite skill levels, joint mobilising of resources is also utilised across some locations to support operational availability. Our Operations Control Room has built in protocols and action plans in place for the mobilisation of resources to remote island locations.

Our full staffing compliment is comprised of:

• 102 x Station Based Personnel
• 2 x Wholetime On-Call Watch Commanders
• 1 x Wholetime On-Call Crew Commander (with 1 more joining in Q2)
• 1 x Wholetime Community Safety Advocate
• 1 x Part-time Fire Safety Auditing Officer
• 2 x Station Commanders, 1 x Group Commander and 1 x Area Commander
• In addition to the above Orkney is supported through national structures in the provision of additional Instructional Staff and Business Support Functions.

13. Community Safety & Engagement

FireSkills 2026

Last Quarters report provided the full focus and extent of learning gained through the FireSkills programme. This report provides the final update on the completion and graduation for our young candidates participating in the first of 2026 FireSkills programme.

Personnel on Sanday have also completed their training to allow them to deliver our first Isles based FireSkills event. I look forward to seeing the successes of this and gauging how we roll this out further.

Community Safety and Prevention Activity Summary

During the reporting period, our Community Safety Advocate delivered a significant programme of community safety, staff development, and partnership engagement activities across Orkney and Shetland.

Home Fire Safety Visits (HFSVs)

Our Community Safety Advocate completed 66 Home Fire Safety Visits, identifying and addressing a range of community safety concerns. As a result of these visits:

• 4 AP1 referrals were submitted to Social Services to support vulnerable individuals.
• 13 onward referrals were made to partner agencies to ensure wider support needs were addressed.
• Interlinked smoke alarm systems were fitted in 4 properties, improving early fire detection and occupant safety.
• Flame-retardant bedding was provided and installed in 1 property to reduce fire risk for a vulnerable resident.

These interventions helped improve fire safety, reduce risk, and strengthen links with partner agencies to support vulnerable members of the community.

Community Engagement and Prevention Education

Our Community Safety Advocate supported prevention and education initiatives through the use of Virtual Reality (VR) technology and practical life-saving skills training:

• Delivered VR headset experiences to 10 participants during Fire Skills activities in Kirkwall.
• Supported three evening engagement events with young people through Criminal Justice partners, delivering VR-based safety education and CPR awareness sessions.

These activities provided innovative and engaging opportunities to promote safety messages and develop practical emergency response skills.

Station Engagement and Staff Development

Our Community Safety Advocate delivered inputs and guidance to operational personnel on Post Domestic Incident Response processes, activity recording, and new Home Fire Safety Visit procedures across multiple stations.

In Orkney, visits were undertaken to:

• Papa Westray
• Shapinsay
• Westray
• Kirkwall

In addition, our Community Safety Advocate spent four days in Shetland, providing similar inputs to personnel at:

• Lerwick
• Brae
• Sandwick
• Sumburgh
• Scalloway

These visits helped improve understanding and consistency in the application of prevention activities, recording processes, and operational procedures across both island groups.

Seasonal Safety Campaigns

Our Community Safety Advocate supported the delivery of Summer Safety TAP campaigns through targeted leaflet distribution across Mainland Orkney and the islands:

• Caravan and Tent Safety (KO5): Distributed at 11 locations.
• Water Safety (KO6): Distributed at 14 locations.
• Wildfire Prevention (KO4): Distributed at 10 locations.

These campaigns increased the reach of key seasonal safety messages and supported wider prevention objectives across local communities.

Overall Impact

Through a combination of direct intervention, staff support, partnership engagement, and public education, our Community Safety Advocate has made a significant contribution to improving community safety outcomes across Orkney and Shetland. Their work has supported vulnerable individuals, enhanced staff knowledge and consistency, strengthened partnership working, and extended the reach of key prevention campaigns throughout island communities.

Key Achievements

• 66 Home Fire Safety Visits completed.
• 4 AP1 referrals submitted to Social Services.
• 13 onward referrals made to partner agencies.
• 4 interlinked alarm systems installed.
• 1 flame-retardant bedding intervention provided.
• Staff inputs delivered at 9 fire stations across Orkney and Shetland.
• 10 participants engaged through VR fire safety experiences.
• 3 youth engagement events delivered in partnership with Criminal Justice services.
• 2 strategic partnership meetings attended.
• 35 seasonal safety campaign locations visited across Orkney and the islands.

Looking forward the Summer Community Safety Thematic Action Plan 1 June – 31 August will provide the following focus:

The programme is a summer community safety strategy that aims to reduce preventable incidents by focusing on:

• Deliberate fire setting
• Outdoor and wildfire prevention
• Seasonal tourism accommodation safety
• Water and marine safety
• Road safety
• Emerging risks such as lithium-ion batteries

The overall objective is to reduce fires, accidents, and anti-social behaviour while improving public safety across communities and visitors.

14. Glossary of Terms

Term - What it means

ADF

Accidental Dwelling Fire.

HFSV

Home Fire Safety Visit.

PDIR

Post Domestic Incident Response, a term used to indicate actions taken following attendance at a fire or other incident in the home. PDIRs include amongst things the offer of a free follow up home fire safety visit.

RTC

Road Traffic Collision.

Special Service

Calls to incidents which are not fires or false alarms such as RTCs, rescues, flooding, incidents involving hazardous materials or the provision of assistance to other agencies.

UFAS

Unwanted Fire Alarm Signals. When an automatic fire detection and alarm system is activated as a result of anything other than an actual fire the activation is classed as a false alarm. If an attendance is made to such an event by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, then the event is recorded as an UFAS incident.

UFAS Policy Change

In response to COVID, on the 6th May 2020, the SFRS decided to send 1 pump to UFAS premises that did not have their own Predetermined attendance (PDA).

As of 1st July 2023, the COVID interim 1 pump response was ended and a new UFAS policy was implemented.

The new policy is to call challenge all UFAS incidents with the intention of non-attendance. Hospitals, care homes, and sleeping risk premises are all exempt and receive either 2 pumps or their premise specific PDA.

IMAGE: Closing page showing the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service logo and the words “Working together for a safer Scotland”, “BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE”, and “Design, figures and charts by the Business Intelligence team.”