The Central Fire Area Administration Scheme Order, 1948

                                                                                            Equipment                                                                                             Retained

                                                                                            1 Pump Escape                                                                                     1 Leading Fireman
                                                                                            1 Standard Towing Unit                                                                      9 Firemen
                                                                                            1 Large Trailer Pump

The Central Fire Area Administration Scheme Order, 1960

                                                                                            Equipment                                                                                             Retained

                                                                                            2 Pumps                                                                                                 ? Leading Fireman
                                                                                                                                                                                                            ? Firemen
                                                                                                                                                                                                             Total 17 Men

Establishment 2000

                                                                                             Equipment                                                                                             Retained

                                                                                            2 Water Tender Ladders                                                                     1 Sub Officer
                                                                                                                                                                                                            3 Leading Firefighters
                                                                                                                                                                                                          16 Firefighters

This was a 1 pump station in the 1948 Establishment but but the Unit wasn’t actually operational until this Station opened in 1960.

26/1/2016 was Station F4, New National Call Sign is L05.

FIRE STATION AT LARBERT OPENED
Tribute To Brigade Personnel 

Tribute to the work of Fire Brigade personnel was paid at the opening on Wednesday of a new £28,000 fire station at Muirhall Road, Larbert. The new station which was opened by Mr. David Mann, will provide a valuable addition to the fire fighting facilities available in the area. It will be under the immediate control of the East Fire Station, Falkirk.
The new station will be open for public inspection for a week between 6 and 8 p.m.
The Chairman Ex-Provost J. Thomson, Kirkintilloch, said that this was the sixth fire station to be opened in the area since 1947. They still require a few more fire stations and he hoped that they would manage to get them built in the very near future
One had to keep in mind the fire risk in the area at Falkirk and Grangemouth and this very admirable fire station at Larbert would assist the station at Grangemouth Road, Falkirk.

FACILITIES

The fire station at Larbert was a retained station and the Committee had always tried where possible to give the best facilities for the Brigade personnel to encourage them in their work.
The chairman gave a special welcome to Mr Davidson, the Firemaster, who was recovering from a recent illness.
Mr David Mann, one of the longest serving members on the Fire Services Joint Committee, performed the opening ceremony This he did by ringing the alarm bell, immediately on the sound of which the Fire Brigade personnel manned the two fire engines in the station and drove them out on to the roadway with a speed and efficiency as if they were en their way to an actual fire.
Previously Mr Mann referred to the work on behalf of the Fire Service by the late Mr. George M'Laren, former convener of Stirling County Council, and the first chairman of the Fire Services Committee. Mr M’Laren had never been far away when it came to pressing the claims of Larbert for the establishment of a fire station.

TRIBUTE

Mr Mann paid tribute to the services provided by the Fire Brigade personnel. Only recently in Glasgow there had been an extremely large and dangerous fire in a bonded warehouse. The Central Area Fire Brigade had been asked to give assistance and it had rapidly responded. Everyone of the members of the Central Area Brigade who took part had given yeoman service in trying to quell the blaze and they had all returned safely to their stations. Not so a number of other men who had lost their lives in fighting that fire.
During that fire the Central Area Fire Brigade had rendered as good service as any of the others present. There was an understanding and an agreement between the Fire Services in the various areas that if an area were in difficulty the others would go to its assistance as quickly as possible.
Referring to the fire risks in the area, Mr Mann said—“Do not let us quibble amongst ourselves what we have to pay for it,"

EXPENDITURE

The revenue expenditure of the Central Area Fire Services Joint Committee was two and a half times what it was in the first year of its existence. The rate in the first year was 4.38d. Yet with all the new stations which had been built since then the rate at the present time was only 5d or thereby. The committee had certainly not been extravagant.
There had been difficulty in some areas in getting retained firemen but he was glad to say that this difficulty had not existed in the Larbert area and employers had responded well in enabling the men to get off their work as soon as the alarm went. They had shown a very high spirit of co-operation in giving the men leave of absence.
Mr Mann paid tribute to the County Architect who, in co-operation with the Firemaster, had designed the building and also to the contractors and workmen for the excellent construction of the station. It had been the most rapidly constructed fire station in the area. 14 months having elapsed since the contractors took possession of the site.
Mr W. Thrower, of the Scottish Home Department, said he had been very much impressed by the quiet efficiency of the fire station. He told the Fire Brigade personnel present that they were performing a very valuable service to the community and he hoped that the new station at Larbert, in addition to providing them with the facilities for carrying out their work would also give them pleasure on social occasions.
On behalf of the contractors, Mr W.T. Porteous of J. J. & P. M’Lachlan, Ltd. presented a portable radio to Mr Mann.
Mr. Porteous said that everything that could possibly be done had to be carried out to circumvent the danger of fire. He paid tribute to the work of the men who had been engaged on the construction of the Fire Station.
A comprehensive vote of thanks was proposed by Bailie W. M'Lean, Clydebank, vice chairman of the Joint Fire Services Committee.

MODERN FEATURES

The new Larbert Fire Station will be under the immediate control of the East Fire Station, Falkirk which is its “parent" station. It will give cover to Larbert, Stenhousemuir and the part of the Stirling County between the River Carron and South Alloa at present covered from Falkirk.
In addition to filling a long-felt need for life-saving appliances in the vicinity of the Institutions at Larbert the Station will be a valuable reserve for the high fire risks at Grangemouth. The siting of the station gives ready access to all parts of the “fire ground” and to Grangemouth.
It will be a retained station, with an establishment of seventeen men.
The appliances room has double bays each capable of housing two fire appliances. A pit is provided for inspection and maintenance of appliances. The doors are operated by pull handles suspended from the roof and are thus under the control of the Officer in charge of the fire appliance.

THE NERVE CENTRE

The Watchroom, or “nerve centre,” of the Fire Station houses the telephone equipment bell-actuating mechanism, and is fully provided with maps, mobilising boards for appliances and personnel, and so on.
The normal procedure to turn out this station will be by remote control from the East Fire Station at Falkirk, through G.P.O. equipment, but this equipment is so designed that this can also be done from the Watchroom at Larbert.
For the comfort and convenience of the firemen ample provision has been made for showers, wash-hand basins, etc. Each man is provided with a locker for his uniform, and there is also a drying room for wet clothing.
Background heating is provided throughout the building by under-floor electric heating and is supplemented in the appliance room, recreation room and muster bay by the use of fan heaters and in the Watchroom with electric convector heaters.
Domestic hot water for showers, wash basins etc. is supplied from a 200 gallon electric hot water immersion heater.

DRILL YARD

A large drill yard is provided at the rear of the premises for drill and hose-washing. A small workshop is provided at the rear of the premises.
A kitchen with larder and ample cupboard accommodation is provided. A large recreation cum lecture room is also provided, and this is large enough for normal social activities on the station.
Adequate provision has been made for the housing of stores, foam-making compound, additional specialised operational equipment, etc.
The station is so designed as to ensure that it will adequately meet the needs—so far as can be foreseen —of the Fire Service in the Larbert area for many years to come. There is a greater area of terrazzo in the design of this station than has been provided in the past. This will reduce the cost of re-decoration in the future and also reduce the day-to-day maintenance on the station. The roof over the appliance room is of particular interest for it incorporates the use of glue-laminated timber beams in Douglas fir, spanning 36 feet and it is the first to be used in this district.
Work was started on 18th May. 1959. The estimated cost is about £28,500
<PHOTOS> One of the station and one of the inside of the bays. (Not on this WEB site)
(The Falkirk Herald, Saturday, June 11, 1960. page 14.)

Station Officers were in charge of retained stations until 1975 when the new Central Region Fire Brigade decided they didn’t want Retained Station Officers and all new Officers in Charge had the rank of Sub Officer. Existing Station Officers retained the rank until they retired.

On Monday the 9th of July 2007 Larbert became the fifth wholetime station in the brigade as a 1 Pump wholetime and 2 Pump retained station when a wholetime pump and crew was moved from Falkirk.

If you know of any mistakes in this or have any additional information please let me know.

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