HISTORY OF THE FIFE FIRE BRIGADE IN ST. ANDREWS

St. Andrews can claim to have been fire conscious over a long number of years in that, as far back as 1700, the local Council made provision for fire buckets made from "a good hide of inglish uppers" to be available for fighting fire.
At the turn of the 18th century, after a series of major fires, a new awareness became apparent in the need for more efficient means of fighting fire, and in 1834 St. Andrews Council bought an 8 man manual pump second hand. This pump appears to have served successfully until 1863 when a number of fires revealed its inadequacy. After a fire which totally destroyed Woodburn Sawmill and a fire in the Crosskeys Hotel stables, the St. Andrews Gazette reported as follows — "Very considerable dissatisfaction is felt and expressed regarding the very unsatisfactory state of the engine and pipes, the latter being burst in many places. There is also a want of system about the entire management. Would it not be possible to have a small organised fire brigade as well as an appointed crew for the Life who, like them, also might be taken out occasionally for practice."
The Gazette further reported later in the year, referring to this manual pump "it has done good service on various occasions but it is fearfully deficient either as regards size, power, ease in working or means of transit."
A fire at Mount Melville emphasised the fact that the manual pump had always to be man-handled to a fire as there was no means of yoking a horse to it. Later that year the Chairman of the Fire Engine Committee announced to the Council that the engine was of no earthly use whatever and efforts were being made to raise money to purchase a new fire engine. The first steps to raise this money were taken at a Police Board Meeting at the end of September 1864 and initially a sum of £50 was raised, including £20 from the Police Board funds, and the Town Council later voted a further £20. There seems to have been considerable reluctance on the part of the inhabitants of St. Andrews to contribute the full cost of an appliance which they considered would be serving a large area of North Fife while at the same time benefiting the insurance companies.
Despite the delays and difficulties, the new fire engine reached St. Andrews on Monday, 29th May, 1865 and was tried out on Wednesday at the Swilcan Burn. This was also an 8 man manual pump but improvements over the previous one were its water tank was of canvas instead of heavy wood, it could be drawn by horses or manpower, and its equipment included four 6 foot ladders which could be combined together. It also included a plentiful supply of buckets, which eliminated the previous necessity for borrowing pans at the scene of the fire.
In 1901 Major D. Lindsay Carnegie gifted a new steam fire engine. This appliance did sterling work in the area until 1920 when the boiler was beginning to show signs of deterioration and the Council decided to buy a new engine. The new engine arrived in St. Andrews on the afternoon of Saturday, March 26th, 1921 and was a Leyland with a lighting set and a 45 foot extension ladder, at a total cost of £2058. It generated 65 h.p. and was capable of a speed of 40 m.p.h. On its arrival Mr James Christie of Bridge Street was appointed Firemaster, at a retaining fee of £10 per annum, and a Mr Lamond was appointed as engineer, the crew being made up from local volunteers, which became the nucleus of the retained unit in St. Andrews. Its first call was at 1.30 p.m. on Wednesday 16th June, 1921 to a fire at Crawford Priory. It covered the 12 mile journey in 20 minutes and had 10 hoses operating within a further 10 minutes.
At this time the engine was housed in premises in Church Square and in 1933 was moved to a building in St. Andrews Burgh Yard in South Bridge Street.
In 1941 the retained unit at St. Andrews was absorbed into the National Fire Service and became part of the No. 4 Eastern Area.
In 1948 the National Fire Service was disbanded and brigades returned to local authority control. The St. Andrews unit then became a retained unit of Fife Fire Brigade.
Fife Fire Area Joint Committee, conscious of the inadequacies of the building in the Burgh Yard and the difficulties of access and egress, have had the present Fire Station built on a site in Largo Road, St. Andrews.
This new Station, the most up to date part-time Station in Fife, houses two fire appliances, has a complement of 18 men and became fully operational on Thursday, 1st February, 1973.
(From the Official Opening programme Saturday, 1st December, 1973.)

St Andrews Merryweather 'Gem' arrived by train 30/5/1901. Captain W Watson Church Square.

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