New Maud fire station opened 

A £25,000 fire station was officially opened at Maud yesterday by Aberdeen county councillor Mr Peter Cook, vice-chairman of the North-east Fire Area Joint Board.
The building with its spacious drill yard at the rear and 50ft. drill tower is in sharp contrast to the firemen’s previous premises in an old shed at Middleton’s Mart in the village.
The new building is a self-contained unit of one floor and comprises an appliance room, muster room, watch room, lecture room with small kitchenette, toilet, showers and ancillary storage room.
Beneath the walled drill yard is an underground water tank and hose target capable of holding 500 gallons of water.

PUMP

Mr Cook said that in 1940, the first fire station was opened in Maud under the Auxilliary Fire Service.
The premises used then were in the council yard and their appliance was a 20h.p. Armstrong Siddeley car, which towed a light pump.
The opening of the Maud station meant that 28 new stations had been opened since the North-east Fire Area Joint Board were inaugurated in 1948, he added.
After the opening the firemen demonstrated some of their new equipment in the drill yard. 

<PHOTOS>
ABOVE: Aberdeen County Councillor Peter Cook presses the siren button to officially open Maud’s new fire station yesterday. Also on platform are (left to right) Firemaster John Donnachie, County Vice Convener Mr Alex Rennie, County Councillor J. A. Dingwall, Fordyce, and District Councilor Eric Simpson.
BELOW: Sub-Officer J. Christie and his men all set to answer their first call.
(Press and Journal, 27/7/1973.)

North-east fire station praised as “beacon” for first responders 

A team of part-time firefighters from a north-east village have been praised for their efforts at the scene of medical emergencies.
The First Responder scheme at Maud fire station means the retained firefighters can offer rapid-response support to ambulance crews.
The five-man responder team has tackled an average of 50 medical calls in each of the last three years.
Members have come in for praise in a new report from HM Chief Inspector of Fire and Rescue Services, which describes Maud as a “beacon” for others to follow.
Maud watch manager Mark Kindness said last night: “It’s something the guys have volunteered for, run with and made an excellent job of. They wanted to make a difference in the community and that’s what’s happened.
“Our first responder car is quite basic, but it’s mainly down to the confidence of the guys, getting to patients as quick as we can, calming them down and providing the basic life-saving care we can.”
Mr Kindness, who when off-duty runs a bakery in New Deer, explained that the majority of incidents he and his crew deal with are ‘red calls’.
“It’s mainly difficulties breathing, strokes, heart attacks, unconsciousness.
“We get training from the Scottish Ambulance Service and we get assessed by them on a regular basis to make sure our skills are up to standard.”
He added that the biggest difference between the standard first aid training firefighters receive and the additional first reponder training is how to use defibrillators.
The Maud station first responder car is equipped with a defibrillator and can mean the difference between life and death in incidents that take place in the remote countryside.
The Maud scheme costs less than £5,000 each year to run.
Local councillor Lenny Pirie said: “I’m delighted the staff at Maud Fire Station have had their excellent work recognised in this way.
“This is a vital service to the communities in Central Buchan and I congratulate the staff on this very positive report.”
Councillor Jim Ingram added: “The staff and the Scottish Fire & Rescue Service are to be commended for this visionary approach to keeping our communities safe.”
(The Press and Journal, 18 November, 2014)

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