Concerns have been raised, however, about the future of the service with a decision on station closures and on-call staffing looming after the Holyrood election and a spending review mandating a 0.5% annual reduction in the public sector workforce.

Colin Brown, executive council member for the FBU tells The Herald: “We’re almost hidden, which is a great thing because the fewer people need us the fewer people are in danger.

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“People don’t phone us because they’re having a good day, they phone us on their worst day.

“So we’re kind of that hidden element but when we’re needed we can’t be going, ‘I’ll get to you shortly’.

“We always make the case that if you want to see what an emergency service looks like when it stops being an emergency service look at British Gas.

“That used to be 24/7 emergency cover response and now if you’ve got a gas leak they’ll try and get someone to you in three or four hours.

“We don’t have that luxury as a fire service where we can say ‘I’ll try and get there at some point over the day’, it’s not like delivering a washing machine.”

While the Union Street fire dominated the headlines in Scotland and made news around the world, much of the work firefighters do can be away from big urban centres.

Mr Brown says: “There are bits people don’t see, we can deploy 200 firefighters to a hillside for a wildfire, and regularly do, but because it’s away in a remote area people don’t see it.

“When there are historic buildings in city centres collapsing because of fire the volume of response is very clear, and the impact it’s going to have on the local community as far as just moving around that part of Glasgow city centre and the impact on the rail infrastructure could be protracted.

“One of the architects who designed the roof structure on the reef has said that this could compromise that roof structure and they might have to be rebuilt.

The exterior of Glasgow Central station following the fire which destroyed a neighbouring building (Image: Network Rail/PA Wire)

“So Central could be closed for months on the back of that, and that then starts to have a really negative impact on the local economy, and the scale of that could actually impact the Scottish economy.

“We saw it in Ayr where there was a fire at the station hotel. The Ayr railway was shut for weeks because the building was so compromised that they had to make that safe before they could open up the tracks that sat right alongside it.

“So all these things are much bigger factors that really put the focus on what is it that firefighters actually do. It’s not just about saving lives, it’s actually about trying to save businesses, save commerce, and play a vital part in the societal part of how Scotland actually functions.”

While the cause of the fire on Union Street has yet to be established, it is believed the blaze began in a vape shop.

Electronic cigarettes, like other products with lithium ion batteries, can go into thermal runaway; a self-sustaining chain reaction which causes rapid overheating. Temperatures commonly reach 700°C.

While statistics are commonly cited showing a reduction of fires in homes – 29% between 2009/10 and 2022-23 – the changing nature of firefighting means the incidents which do arise can be far more challenging to deal with.

Mr Brown says: “Early reports show that this fire started in a vape shop, and some of the videos we’ve seen on social media show that it did seem to originate there.

“Lithium ion batteries are a totally different thing when it comes to a fire, putting water on those batteries if they’re damaged or in thermal runaway can actually increase the explosive capacity.

“So that’s a completely different challenge for a firefighter going in, all our traditional firefighting techniques are that you apply water because it’s usually an abundant resource.

The fire on Union StreetThe fire on Union Street (Image: NQ)

“By the time firefighters got on the site it was probably already beyond the capacity of dealing with it in a single space, as in that one shop.

“I haven’t seen the timeline of the incident to be able to make informed comment about that, but the first thing is the challenge would have been that you’re dealing with a new technology in the lithium ion batteries.

“Now, whether it originated there or not those were involved because the incident wiped that entire shop out, so that becomes an explosive risk.

“The second thing is that you’re dealing with the structure. Paul Sweeney, the MSP for the area, has publicly commented about how these buildings were built for modern fire standards.

“There could well have been hidden voids with the various refits that have happened over the years, I would assume the structure itself would have been largely lath and plaster; or timber and a lot of very dried out old material.

“These elements would potentially increase the spread and severity of the fire, so dealing with these old historic buildings creates its own challenges for firefighters.

“Roles have changed massively as new technology evolves, the way we approach a road traffic collision involving an electric vehicle is very different to how we’d have approached it with traditional fuel vehicles.

“You only have to look at concerns residents are raising where they’ve got these huge battery energy storage sites projected to be built next to them, lithium battery storage sites on the outskirts of local communities.

“You see the potential impact that had over the weekend, if one of those goes into thermal runaway? That’s a problem of a different scale and magnitude.

“It may not be the built environment in a city centre, but it’ll have a massive impact on local communities with the fumes and toxicants which could come off these sites.

“Countries like Japan and Germany are banning electric vehicles from underground car parks because of the risks they pose, it’s the same reason the rail networks ban electric scooters and bikes.

“When these batteries go into runaway, as they do sometimes if they’re damaged or inappropriately charged, the risks are massive.

“In this case it’s shut down Scotland’s busiest railway station.

“The stats that are always used are that we’ve got fewer dwelling fires – meaning house fires – but the actual stats support the fact we’re actually doing much more work than we’ve done previously.

“Historically we were just a fire service, now we’re a fire, rescue and emergency service.”

Community Safety Minister Siobhian Brown said: “The 2026-27 draft Budget includes almost £436 million for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) – an increase of £23.8m (5.7%). Our investment will support delivery of frontline services and help to ensure SFRS continues to deliver the high standard of service needed to keep communities safe.

“As the number and type of emergencies that the SFRS responds have changed significantly over the past few years, it is sensible for them to carry out a service delivery review to ensure that resources are in the right place at the right time to meet changing demand. The timetable for presenting final options for change is a matter entirely for the SFRS Board.”

Stuart Stevens, chief officer of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, said: “Like all public services, SFRS is operating in a challenging financial environment. Following the recent Scottish Budget allocation, we are working to develop a detailed financial plan that ensures we can continue to deliver a modern, effective, and sustainable service for communities across Scotland.

“Our Service Delivery Review remains a key strategic priority to ensure we are matching operational resources to changing risk and demand. However, I have been clear that alongside change the fire service requires sustained investment.

“The Union Street Fire in Glasgow serves as a timely reminder of the need to have a fully resourced fire service that is able to deliver effective response, preparedness and prevention activities to all parts of Scotland.”