Firefighters say they will struggle to cope with more extreme weather events like Storm Babet because of cuts to the service.
Aberdeen-based Simon Leroux said staff are being stretched thin across the country despite a dangerous rise in wildfires and floods.
A hard-hitting new report, published on Tuesday, warned the service is “ill-equipped” to tackle the climate crisis.
In particular, it warned stations need an expanded workforce and better resources to help when major floods devastate communities.
Flooding overwhelmed parts of Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Perthshire and Angus, and claimed three lives across Scotland during several punishing days of rain and wind beginning on October 19.
Hundreds of homes in Brechin were evacuated on Thursday as the River South Esk burst its banks.
Mr Leroux, who is the Fire Brigade Union’s (FBU) North Area Secretary, told us more cash is needed from the Scottish Government to help staff cope during major weather events.
‘We didn’t stop all day’
He said: “Once in a generation incidents are now becoming annual events, purely because of the climate crisis.
“Last Thursday, I was on-duty in Aberdeen. We didn’t stop all day.
“For three or four days, the fire service across the whole of Scotland – especially in the north-east – was really full to capacity.
“Any major fire event that came in, we would have been struggling. You have to then prioritise, which one do we do?”
You can hear more from Mr Leroux and wider discussion of the extreme weather in our latest episode of The Stooshie, the politics podcast from DC Thomson, here.
As the storm spread into Saturday, residents in some parts of Peterculter were forced to flee their homes.
More than 50 people rushed to help residents in the Aberdeen suburb, battling the elements through the night to save homes from flooding.
Officers confirmed on Monday that a body was recovered in the search for a man trapped in his car on a flooded road near Marykirk, Aberdeenshire.
He has yet to be formally identified but his next of kin have been informed.
Perth businesswoman Wendy Taylor, 57, was swept into a river on the Invermark estate in Glen Esk at the height of the storm on Sunday.
On the same day, 56-year old painter John Gillian from Arbroath died when his van was hit by a tree near Forfar.
‘Firestorm’ for fire service
In Holyrood on October 24, Fire Brigade Union (FBU) bosses warned the rising threat of climate change has combined with cuts to staff and declining training standards to create a “firestorm” for the service.
Outlining the alarming knock-on impact, Mr Leroux, who works out of Altens, warned major flooding events like Storm Babet stop firefighters from travelling to call-outs elsewhere in the country.
He said: “During the storm, the A90 between Dundee and Aberdeen was shut.
“When the road network is unavailable, we won’t actually be able to provide a national resource.”
At the same time as firefighters raised the alarm in Holyrood, MSPs were asking for more support from the Scottish Government.
North East Tory MSP Tess White said: “With lives tragically lost, homes destroyed and livelihoods in jeopardy, communities in Angus don’t want warm words, they want reassurances that Angus Council will have the funds it needs to support people who have lost everything.”
Humza Yousaf indicated support was coming during a visit to Brechin on Monday to see the aftermath of the extreme flooding.
SNP justice chief Angela Constance said £42 million is free each year for local authorities to invest in flood risk plans.
Ms Constance said: “We are absolutely committed to practically and financially supporting that recovery.
“I can confirm three local authorities have notified the Scottish Government of potential claims relating to Storm Babet.”
The Scottish Government later confirmed they are Aberdeenshire, Angus and Perth and Kinross councils.
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