Around 500 fewer firefighters are serving in Scotland today than when the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service was founded five years ago.

Frontline staff account for around half of the service's 1130 headcount reduction since 2013.

The number of full-time firefighters has fallen each year since 2011 but the rate accelerated after the SFRS was created.

The service recruited 100 firefighters last year, although 45 left between 2016 and 2017, and it aims to fill another 300 positions.

Community safety minister Annabelle Ewing said protecting frontline staff is the Scottish Government's top priority.

"Incidents like last week's major fire in Sauchiehall Street in Glasgow show the sheer bravery of fire teams willing to put themselves in danger to assist others," Ms Ewing said.

"It is also important to recognise the service's valuable preventative work, which includes helping the most vulnerable and elderly members of the community stay safe in their own homes.

"Our priority is to protect the front line and the 2018/19 budget provides additional spending power of £15.5m to allow the SFRS to invest for service transformation, on top of a £21.7m increase in operational budget this year."

The government also highlighted a £52.7m investment in new and refurbished buildings, including the new north headquarters in Aberdeen and a control room in Dundee.

However, the SFRS has also faced criticism for closing 999 call centres across Scotland following £50m of budget cuts.

Chief officer Alasdair Hay said they had built a "world-class" emergency service.

"By protecting our frontline, ensuring equitable access to resources and equipment, and through our tireless prevention efforts we have ensured that Scotland's communities are safer than ever," he added.

There are around 3650 frontline firefighters currently employed by the SFRS, according to the latest available figures, compared to 4150 in 2013.

The number of part-time and volunteer firefighters has also fallen since 2013, along with control room and support staff.

A Scottish Government report published in 2017 concluded that Scotland's police and fire services had been left "stretched" by centralisation.

The SFRS was created in 2013 with the merger of Scotland's eight regional fire and rescue services, making it the largest fire service in the UK and fourth largest in the world.