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As the Scottish strategy is predicatedaround an enhanced capability being available across all eight Fire and Rescue Services(FRS), the original planning assumptions for travel and time of deployment are determinedby the nature of the risk and location of the specialist resources in each of theFRS. The deployment arrangements for the specialist resources such as Mass Decontaminationand Major Incident Units are in line with the current UK assumptionsbut tailored to the geography and risk across Scotland.

These planning assumptions includingtime and travel predictions are currently being reviewed in line with theon-going work being developed by the Home Office as part of the national ChemicalBiological Radiological and Nuclear Model Response options.

The objective of the New Dimensionprogramme in Scotland is to enhance the resilience of the Fire and Rescue Services(FRS) and their capability to deal collectively with catastrophic incidents as wellas the more frequently occurring major incidents and natural disasters that requirespecialist equipment and trained personnel.

National risk assessment andplanning guidance developed by a joint Chief Fire Officers’ Association workinggroup that also involved the then Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and the HMFire Inspectorates in Scotland and England was issued to all FRS in 2002 to supportthis work.

The enhanced New Dimension capabilityand resilience arrangements for Scotland involve all eight Fire and Rescue Servicesin line with the original project strategy approved by ministers and supported bythe initial £5 million additional funding that was announced in February 2002 bythe then Justice Minister Jim Wallace. This strategy continues to be supported andfunded by the Scottish Executive.

The Scottish Executive providedthe initial funding in 2002 to support additional capability and resilience in boththe areas of Mass Decontamination and Specialist Rescue, whilst the original fundingprovided in England and Wales during this period by the then Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions,was dedicated to developing only a mass decontamination capability. Consequentlythe Scottish programme was able to progress ahead of the rest of the UK and this includedthe procurement of all the specialist rescue equipment and the initial vehiclesin accordance with the agreed strategy which was then delivered in advance of thesubsequent ODPM programme.

Training standards that are applicableto New Dimension are the same across the UK. Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (FRS) personnel havebeen trained to those recognised standards and in some areas of Urban Search andRescue to a more enhanced level.

The deployment arrangements inScotland for any new dimension event or similar major incident involve the provisionof suitably trained and competent personnel being simultaneously deployed with theappropriate vehicles and standardised equipment.

The Scottish Executive fundsthe centralised training for all Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (FRS) urban searchand rescue (USAR) technicians and USAR operators. To the present date a total of90 FRS personnel have been trained to USAR Technician standard and 450 to USAR Operatorlevel.

Additionally, the Executive supports,through central funding, the enhanced continuation training course at Mines Rescuein Fife for all FRS USAR personnel and currently around 125 personnel have attendedthis course.

The actual number of these personnelon duty and available each day is a matter for each individual FRS to determine.

The New Dimension strategy inScotland involves all eight Fire and Rescue Services (FRS) who have undertaken aspart of a Scottish-wide Mutual Aid arrangement to support any major incident occurringin Scotland. The present Scottish Mutual Aid agreement also covers Scottish FRSproviding support across the remainder of the UK subject to the prevailing demandsat the time of the request. As part of these arrangements, the Chief Fire Officers’Association Scotland are leading in the development of a Scottish Resource Co-ordinatingCentre which will link our Scottish resources into the English co-ordinating centrecurrently located in West Yorkshire FRS.

Any relevant national standardswhich are developed and approved through the appropriate bodies, that provide Fireand Rescue Services (FRS) with guidance in such areas as person specifications,job descriptions and individual selection criteria, would as a matter of course,be promulgated through existing channels to all FRS including those in Scotland.

However, any decision on selectionof their staff for any specific role is the discretion and responsibility of eachindividual FRS and not the Scottish Executive.

The Scottish EnvironmentProtection Agency (SEPA) will undertake a prioritised review of authorisations underthe Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations 2005 startingin late 2006. It is an operational matter for SEPA to determine how to undertakethese reviews.

The information requested isnot held centrally.