Fraserburgh had a call sign of 70 in Grampian Fire and Rescue Service, this was changed to R27, the new National Call Sign, when the Control at Mounthooly closed on 8/11/2016.

FRASERBURGH FIRE BRIGADE DEMONSTRATION 

On Sunday afternoon the Fraserburgh Fire Brigade, under Firemaster Douglas Massie, gave a fine demonstration of the capabilities of the Dennis Motor Fire Engine, which the Fraserburgh Town Council recently acquired.
The engine took up its station on the Old Pier of Sandhaven Harbour, and sucking the water from the harbour, a height of twelve feet, was able to discharge it through four lines of hose at the rate of about 220 gallons a minute.
Using a larger nozzle two lines of hose were able to throw a great body of water almost as far as the middle jetty.
A length of hose (600 feet,) was then run out and, with an inch nozzle, a height of eighty feet was reached.
Many of the villagers were drawn harbour wards to see the practice, and some very complimentary criticisms were heard, regarding the speed of coupling up hose to hose, and the very fine condition of the engine and pump.
(The Fraserburgh Herald and Northern Counties’ Advertiser, February 17, 1931. Page 3)

BURGH OF FRASERBURGH
PROPOSED NEW FIRE STATION 

The Town Council invite Tenders for the Mason and Brick, Joiner and Glazier, Plumber and Plaster Works of

NEW FIRE STATION

Plans may be seen at the Office of the Burgh Surveyor, Mr W. F. Hamilton, Fraserburgh, from whom copies of the Specifications and Schedules of Quantities may be obtained.
Sealed offers marked “Fire Station” must be lodge with the Town Clerk on or before Friday, 18^th June, 1937, at 10am.
The Town Council shall not be bound to accept the lowest or any offer.
J. Hamilton, Town Clerk.     Fraserburgh, 7^th June, 1937.
(The Fraserburgh Herald and Northern Counties’ Advertiser, June 8, 1937. Page 3) 

FIRE STATION TENDERS
On the recommendation of the Streets and Roads Committee the following tenders were accepted for erection of a Fire Station at the corner of Mid Street and Manse Street: Mason work, Mr A. Cheyne, £359/16/0; carpenter work, Messrs Hall and Sons, £137; plaster work, Messrs A. Wiseman and Son, £76/15/1; plumber work, Messrs Ferguson and Co., £47/7/11 – total. £620/19/-.
(Aberdeen Press and Journal, Tuesday, July 6, 1937. Page 9) 

The new Fire Station at Dennyduff Rd. will come into operation in about 6 weeks time. The building is a lavish one, having heated floors, showers, lecture room, etc., and cost in the region of £18,000. The siren on the roof of the Central School will cease to function and the one on top of the Dalrymple Hall and the other on the roof of the New Fire Station will operate.
(The Fraserburgh Herald and Northern Counties’ Advertiser, April 14, 1959. Page 3) 

Fraserburgh Fire Brigade changed its quarters from King Edward Street on Thursday evening. The official opening of the new fire station will take place on Thursday, 29^th October.
I don’t think the patients of the Maternity Hospital are going to like hearing the siren on the new Fire Station so close.
(The Fraserburgh Herald and Northern Counties’ Advertiser, September 15, 1959. Page 3 ) 

The new Fire Station will be officially opened at 2-45 pm, on Thursday, 29^th October, by the Right Honourable Viscount of Arbuthnot, Chairman of the North Eastern Fire Area Joint Board. Treasurer Wm. R. West of the Saltoun Hotel represents Fraserburgh on the Fire Board.
(The Fraserburgh Herald and Northern Counties’ Advertiser, October 27, 1959. Page 3)

OPENING OF FRASERBURGH’S
NEW FIRE STATION 

Provost Magnus P. J. Robertson, J.P., occupied the chair when the new Fraserburgh Fire Station, built at a cost of £17,754, was officially declared open by Viscount Arbuthnott, Chairman of the North Eastern Fire Area Joint Board, on Thursday. The new station is situated at the corner of Dennyduff Road and Union Grove.
In his remarks, the Provost said he was glad to welcome the invited guests and had a special word of welcome for Lord Arbuthnott.

Viscount Arbuthnott

Viscount Arbuthnott said it was a great honour to be asked to perform the ceremony of declaring open the new Fraserburgh fire station.
“Negotiations started as far back as 1956”, he said, “and it takes time to find a suitable site. This new station is in the nerve centre of the town and is the first station of three units outside the city of Aberdeen. What we have in this station is the same as what we have in all the new stations in the area”.
Viscount Arbuthnott congratulated the architects, Messrs. J. A. O. Allan, Ross and Allan, Aberdeen, and the contractors who took part in the construction of the new station. They were: Messrs. Hall & Robertson (Builders) Ltd.; W. J. Anderson Ltd.; Henry Hope & Sons, Ltd.; The Neuchatel Asphalt Co., Ltd.; D. L. Fullarton; Toffolo, Jackson & Co., Ltd.; The Marley Tile Col., Ltd.
The new engine he said, is equipped with a 50 feet escape ladder, capable of reaching the top of the highest building in Fraserburgh.
The vote of thanks was proposed by the Rev, P. Craik Macquoid, Vice Chairman of the Council of the County of Aberdeen. 

Fraserburgh’s new Fire Station is one of the largest stations outside of Aberdeen. The one at Elgin is of similar size. 

At the opening of the new Fraserburgh Fire Station a delightful tea was served by Mr and Mrs Willie Reid, College Bounds. 

NEW FIRE ENGINE

The new fire engine at the new Fraserburgh Fire Station cost £7,000. It has a Rolls Royce 190- brake horse power 8 cylinder engine, is capable of carrying 120 gallons of water and a hose rate of 1,000 gallons a minute
(The Fraserburgh Herald and Northern Counties’ Advertiser, November 3, 1959. Page 3)

Fraserburgh Fire Officers give farewell salute to Sub Officer Watt

 On the last day of January, 1972, Sub Officer in charge of Fraserburgh Fire Station, George Watt, retired from the fire service after 33 years.
Mr Watt (60), of 90 Charlotte Street, joined the Fire Brigade in August 1939 when it was known as the National Fire Service. He was made Leading Fireman in 1947 and the following year became a member of the newly formed North Eastern Fire Brigade.
In 1959 he was made Sub Officer and took charge of the Fraserburgh Station two years later.
Firemaster J. C. Donnachie of the North Eastern Fire Brigade paid tribute to Mr Watt, pointing out that during his 33 years service, Sub Officer Watt had proved himself a most loyal and dedicated officer, and that his whole outlook was in the best tradition of the Fire Brigade.
Firemaster Donnachie revealed that, while the present Fire Brigade was very efficient, in his opinion the older men, in the nicest sense of the phrase, have a certain public spiritedness of their own.
“As far as I’m concerned, he added, “the loss of Sub Officer Watt is indeed a big loss and one that will be felt in the Brigade”
The Firemaster has given his personal thanks to Mr Watt and is of the opinion that the people of Fraserburgh have a lot to be thankful for as well.
Mr Watt, who is a joiner with Hall and Robertson Ltd., has many vivid memories of his fire service. He remembers the fire which destroyed Gordon’s Sawmill and the biggest fire he attended at Benzie and Miller’s shop in 1940. He has seen many improvements in the equipment used by the firemen mainly water carrying machines and most important, breathing apparatus.
On hoax calls, Mr Watt says that this has always been a big danger to firemen but that in the last 10 years with the popularity of the telephone there has been an increase. Mr Watt considers a “fire bug,” the likes of which Fraserburgh had at the beginning of 1971, a most hazardous matter to deal with.
In 1959 he was awarded the Fire Brigade’s Long Service and Good Conduct Medal and “hit the headlines” in 1970 when he was injured while attending a fire at the Alexandra Hotel. He suffered facial burns and was taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.
Fraserburgh Fire Brigade are to hold a dinner in his honour in the near future.
Sub Officer Watt is succeeded by Sub Officer Peter Ritchie, 71 Lochpots Road.
(The Fraserburgh Herald, Friday, 11^th February, 1972. Page 1)

Former fire officer dies 

A former officer in charge of Fraserburgh Fire Station, Mr Peter Ritchie, has died.
Mr Ritchie (66), 71 Lochpots Road, was a retained fireman for 27 years, retiring six years ago as station officer.
Fraserburgh born, he was a joiner to trade and worked for many years with the Consolidated Pneumatic Tool Company.
He is survived by his wife Elizabeth and son Peter.
(Press and Journal, Thursday, February 25, 1988. Page 3)

Fraserburgh Fire Brigade

The origin of the Fire Brigade in Fraserburgh is rather obscure. It is known that in the early part of the century the Fire Brigade equipment consisted of a hand-barrow with stand-pipes and a few lengths of leather hose.
This was the position immediately prior to 1931, the responsibility for the Fire Brigade being that of the Burgh Surveyor of the day, at that time a Mr. Alexander. The 12 firemen were also Town Council employees.
In 1931 the Council purchased its first motor driven fire appliance – a Dennis machine with a Braidwood body, having a built-in self-propelled pump. The Burgh Surveyor at this time was a Mr. Hamilton. It is understood that on the day the new fire appliance was installed a fire call was received but that as the machine was not fully equipped and immediately available, a call for assistance had to be sent to rivals and near-neighbours Peterhead – much to the chagrin of the local firemen.
The location of the Fire Station in Fraserburgh at this time was in Mid Street and the method of calling-out the firemen was by sounding the Gas Works horn – even in the middle of the night! Call bells, however, were installed in the firemen’s houses in 1936.
Mr. Meldrum who succeeded Mr. Hamilton as Burgh Surveyor then took over the responsibility of the Brigade just prior to the 1938 Fire Brigade Act coming into force. Under the new scheme, which embraced the whole of Aberdeen County, a second fire appliance and trailer pump was purchased for Fraserburgh to cover the county district. (Although delivery of the new appliance was not received until after the commencement of the war.) About this time too, the Auxiliary Fire Service came into being for a possible war emergency.
When war came in September 1939, the early days saw quite a few air raids on the East Coast of Scotland, particularly in the North East, and it was soon realised that the duties of the Burgh Surveyor and Firemaster had to be divorced were the two to function efficiently in face of the added hazards brought about by war.
Consequently the first whole time Firemaster to be appointed was Mr. Elrick, previously a part time fireman, and in a short period he was given a small nucleus of whole time men from which to develop a bigger Brigade.
Fire Brigades throughout the country had hardly settled into the new organisation set-up  brought about by the 1939 Act when the formation of the National Fire Service in 1942 resulted from the need to adapt the organisation and method to meet the problems set up by intensive incendiary attacks on our cities.

DAL/SDC                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      18^th September 1959

Copied from a display board in Fraserburgh Fire Station.

2001 Scottish Ambulance Service crews now operate from this station but their vehicles are parked outside.

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