Scottish Operational Guidance Board

Operational Guidance issued by the Department of Communities and Local Government (CLG) for the Fire and Rescue Service applies to England only and is routinely marked to that effect. Where it is deemed that any such piece of guidance applies equally and without the necessity of modification or alteration to Scottish Fire and Rescue Authorities and/or their services, a Scottish Fire and Rescue Service Circular or Dear Chief Officer (Scotland) Letter will be issued by The Scottish Government or the Scottish Fire and Rescue Advisory Unit, confirming its application.

Subject to the nature and urgency of the particular guidance, this will normally be done after referral to the Scottish Operational Guidance Board. All operational guidance issued will be subject to verification by the Board.

An exception to this general rule is the issue of Generic Risk Assessments (GRAs) relating to operational procedures. In the case of GRAs issued by CLG, unless advised to the contrary through the issue of a Scottish Fire and Rescue Service Circular or Dear Chief Officer (Scotland) Letter, Scottish Services should adopt the relevant GRA as good practice when developing their own operational policies and procedures. The applicability or otherwise of the GRA to Scotland will thereafter be confirmed at the first subsequent Scottish Operational Guidance Board meeting.

Generic Risk Assessments can be found on the Good Practice and Guidance pages on the Communities and Local Government pages of the UK Government web site.