A union leader has claimed the part-time firefighters system is “on its knees” and large parts of the country have no emergency cover.
Brigade bosses and union leaders agree the issue is one of the biggest problems facing the new single service.
Retained stations – which make up the bulk of services in remote and rural areas – often cannot provide fire engines because they do not have enough staff.
Some 43% of firefighters are retained – professional firemen and women who have other jobs but respond to emergency calls – and cover 90% of the Scottish landmass.
John Duffy, Fire Brigades Union Scotland secretary, said there was a legacy of problems which had been “hidden” by the eight former fire brigades.
“Some of the things that have been discovered in the past year have been quite shocking,” he told MSPs.
“One of those from the FBU perspective, the number one priority for us, will be the retained duty system, which is on its knees.
“Large parts geographically of our country don’t have fire cover.”
North councillor Helen Carmichael, a former member of the now-defunct Highlands and Islands Fire Board, said: “It only takes one that is not attended for someone to die.”
Douglas Ross, chairman of Moray Council police and fire and rescue services committee, said: “There is certainly concern about response times, because it can take longer to assemble a crew.
“We all expect emergency services to be there when a 999 call is made. If there continues to be a problem attracting retained firefighters it will one day cause a serious problem.”
Changing lifestyles are believed to be a major factor. People often have to travel long distances to work. Or employers, who may be national organisations without local links, refuse to give staff time off to attend calls.
Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) bosses accept the union’s assessment and a taskforce is looking at the issue, but solutions could take a long time to implement.
Pat Watters, SFRS board chairman said: “I agree with John Duffy, it is probably one of the biggest problems facing the service at the current time.
“There have been many attempts in the past to massage the retained duty system, we can’t do it any more.”
Chief Fire Office Alasdair Hay said: “It is absolutely one of the biggest issues facing the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.”