Fraser Parr voiced concerns

The brigade wants to build 35 new stations and refurbish 35 others at a cost of �26m.

It still operates out of garden sheds in some parts of the region, while in Beauly the station is a glorified container.

Eighteen months ago the chairman of the Highlands and Islands Fire Board, Councillor Drew MacFarlane-Slack, urged the Scottish Executive to review funding for the sector.

On Friday, the board voted to commission a feasibility study into the PPP scheme at a cost of �500,000.

The money for the study - which is being provided by the Scottish Executive - would be enough to build two new fire stations.

PPP is the successor to Private Finance Initiatives and has become the funding method of choice for an increasing number of projects.

Borrowing considerations

Schemes are already in existence for school and hospital projects in Scotland - but no fire brigade has considered going down the route before.

Firemaster Brian Murray told BBC Radio Scotland: "At the present time we have a huge development need.

"We have firefighters without breathing apparatus, without fire engines and firefighters in poor accommodation.

"We have to address these issues and one of those routes would be PPP. It offers a solution in the short term."

This is really a Tory plan that Labour and the Liberals seem to have adopted

Fraser Parr, Highland Branch spokesman

Local sub officer John Gunn said some officers had to rely on phone calls from mobile phones or landlines because they did not have pagers.

But union spokesman Fraser Parr said he was concerned about the idea of PPP.

He said: "The services we provide affect the public directly and I don't know whether it would be cheaper for the government to be borrowing rather than for us to be borrowing from private companies.

"This is really a Tory plan that Labour and the Liberals seem to have adopted. I don't really think that it is applicable."

However, Councillor Slack said that it was in the public's interest to explore the merits of PPP, and such an opportunity had to be taken.