All are 90bhp Citan 109 CDI vans, specified following trials of competitive vehicles in the same class, which found "the quality and specification of the Citans was in a different league".
"These are our first Citans but I know from experience that Mercedes-Benz vans are extremely reliable," comments fleet manager Scott Roberts – formerly responsible for Tayside, one of the eight regional brigades merged to form SFRS in 2013.
"We were equally impressed with the attentive service we received from Mercedes-Benz Commercial Vehicles Aberdeen, and the back-up network offered by [parent company] TOM," he adds.
Noting that the Citans have replaced vehicles of another unnamed brand, which were maintained by different dealers, Roberts says: "Now, we have a single point of contact, which makes my life much easier and is far more efficient."
SFRS's new Citans are being used by officers who carry out risk assessments of commercial and public buildings, deliver safety demonstrations, and undertake door-to-door smoke alarm inspections in residential areas.
They may also be called into action to support front-line fire appliances at major incidents.