MERT.highland

15/08/2026

A very high wildfire warning is in place for Eastern Highlands, Eastern and Southern Scotland from today (Wednesday, 12 August) until Thursday, 13 August.

Everyone should avoid lighting outdoor fires or barbecues. A single spark can cause significant damage, and there is no such thing as a harmless fire.

You can help prevent the risk of wildfires by sharing this post with your family, friends, and any visitors or tourists.

If you see an outdoor fire, call 999 immediately. Give the location and any other relevant information so we can respond quickly.

08/08/2026

Our team are out tonight on Operation Respect providing First Aid support to Inverness Town Centre to help lower demand on Emergency Services and keep people safe.

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Interested in joining our team? We are currently looking to recruit more Volunteers. From Comms to First Aid, there’s lots of skills to pick up with us.

Drop up us a message on FaceBook or send an email to [email protected]

Stay safe 😎

Operation Respect - Inverness Inverness City Centre BID

29/07/2026

🔎 LOST SOMETHING AT BELLA?

Dropped your sunnies? Misplaced your phone? Lost a welly somewhere between the campsite and the arena?

Don’t panic - our lost property process has had a little upgrade this year! 🔍

Look out for QR codes throughout the arena, save or screenshot the details below and visit the web link to register your missing item with as much information as possible.

You can also hop onto one of our free Wi-Fi zones across the festival site if you need to get connected!

Our lovely Welfare Team will manage everything through the NotLost system and work their magic to reunite Bella-goers with their belongings. ❤️

Found something? Please hand it in to the Welfare Team, so it can find its way back home!

26/07/2026

25/07/2026

[Update at 10pm on Saturday, 25 July]

‼️ After an extensive multi-agency response to a large fire within Cairngorms National Park, residents of Nethy Bridge are being advised that they can now return to their properties.

The major incident declared by Police Scotland last night, as a result of a change in weather conditions due to the immediate risk to the community, has been stood down, while Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, Police Scotland and our Local Response Partners continue to put all required resources to tackling the fire.

Firefighters will continue to maintain a significant operational presence until the incident is safely concluded. Seventy-five firefighters have remained on the ground today, working alongside partner agencies, and more than 30 heavy machinery operators, to tackle areas of fire affecting land near Nethy Bridge. Helicopter water-bombing has continued and remains a vital part of supporting crews on the ground.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has thanked volunteers who have offered assistance.

The existing advice for those living in the affected areas and the areas that are currently being impacted by the spread of smoke, including Aberdeenshire and Moray, are asked to keep all windows and doors closed.

A full update is available in the comments section.

25/07/2026

[Update - 12pm on Saturday, 25 July]

There are sufficient heavy machinery resources in attendance at this time, and we ask that no further resources are mobilised. Thank you to all partner agencies, organisations and individuals supporting the overall response.

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[Update - 8.30am on Saturday, 25 July]

⚠️ Wildfire update – Public information

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service continues to respond to the ongoing wildfire within the Cairngorms National Park. There are currently nine fire appliances at the scene, supported by specialist wildfire resources, as firefighters work alongside partner agencies to tackle the incident.

As emergency service operations continue, we are asking the public to take note of the following important information:

🚨 Smoke advisory – Tomintoul
Residents in Tomintoul are advised to keep windows and doors closed as a precaution due to smoke from the wildfire.
If you are affected by smoke, stay indoors where possible, keep windows and doors closed, and avoid strenuous outdoor activity. For further health advice, please follow NHS Highland.

🏠 Evacuation update
As a precaution, residents in the small area of properties north-west of Dorback Lodge (Lain Thatchan) are being evacuated. Residents are being directed to a dedicated respite centre at the Macdonald Aviemore Resort.

🚜 Request for plant machinery
Operators who can provide suitable plant machinery to support the ongoing multi-agency response are asked to report to the Village Hall in Nethy Bridge.

⚠️ Please continue to avoid the affected areas while firefighting operations remain ongoing. The area remains unsafe due to active firefighting operations, rapidly changing fire behaviour and helicopter activity.

Thank you for your continued support and cooperation as emergency services and partner agencies respond to this incident.

18/07/2026

Local residents, and other members of the public, who have been displaced by the large fire in the Cairngorms National Park, and who require to return to the exclusion zone, can to attend at the reception of Macdonald Aviemore Resort, Aviemore, PH22 1PN, between 10am and 12pm on Sunday, 19 July, 2026, to register their details.

You will thereafter be contacted when it is deemed safe to enter.

*Edit - additional information*
People who cannot attend at Macdonald Aviemore Resort in person can call 01349 886691 to register their details.

17/07/2026

15/07/2026

🚑 You never know when someone will need your help.

Today, one of our volunteers was out walking in the woods when they came across someone who had sustained injuries requiring emergency assistance.

Thanks to the training delivered byMERT Highland and the equipment issued to our volunteers, they were able to respond immediately, providing calm, confident first response care until additional emergency resources arrived. They then worked alongside pre-hospital care teams to help ensure the patient received effective care before onward transfer to hospital.

This is a reminder that emergencies don’t just happen at organised events—they can happen anywhere, at any time. Having the knowledge, skills and confidence to step forward can make a real difference.

At MERT Highland, we train ordinary people to respond in extraordinary situations. We make our emergency equipment including 10 defibrillators and our volunteers available, through the Goodsam app, to communities throughout Inverness and the highlands.

Whether you’re looking to learn new skills or build on existing experience, volunteering with us gives you the opportunity to:

✅ Gain high-quality first response training.
✅ Support your community at events across the Highlands.
✅ Assist during planned deployments, such as Operation Respect.
✅ Be prepared to help when unexpected emergencies arise.
✅ Work alongside emergency and pre-hospital care services when it matters most.

If you’ve ever thought about volunteering and want to develop skills that could one day help save a life, we’d love to hear from you.

Find out more or apply to join the team at https://merthighland.com/contact

Together, we can make our communities safer—one volunteer at a time.

Medical and Emergency Response Team, MERT Highland homepage. Services include Event Medical Cover and first aid. The team also provides Emergency Response and Support. The team have bases in Inverness and Kyle of Lochalsh