Establishment 2000

If there are enough men the two aerials are on the run, if not the TL is on the run. The HP is also used as a brigade spare.

Establishment 2023

There are 5 watches each consisting of 1 Watch Commander, 3 Crew Commanders and 7 Firefighters. The first appliance has 2 drivers and jump crews the Prime Mover or Water Rescue Unit with the remainder of the crew taking the first pump as the support pump to the incident. The Rescue Pumps are crewed 5 and 4 and the ALP with 2.

Pods on station are ENV SCO03 (Mass Decontamination Support Unit) and MDS SCO03 (Mass Decontamination Unit)

Central had a call sign of 96 in Grampian Fire and Rescue Service, this was changed to Q02, the new National Call Sign, when the Control at Mounthooly closed on 8/11/2016.

It is over two hundred and fifty years ago since the City Fathers of Aberdeen realised the necessity of taking some precaution against fire. It was in the year 1721 when it was decided to appoint a watchman to patrol the town at night to give the alarm if a fire should break out. It must be appreciated that Aberdeen in those days was considerably smaller than it is now. It was also about that period that Aberdeen possessed its first fire engine. Regrettably there is no record as to the type or construction of the appliance or where it was kept.
It was not until the year 1776 that records indicate that the first real fire station in Aberdeen was at a building called the Water House in Broad Street and the appliance or fire engine was kept on the ground floor of the building. There is no record as to whether or not the fire engine then was the same one of 1721.
Between 1776 and 1855 there were many destructive fires and the townspeople were greatly alarmed at this serious state of affairs. In 1855 the Council decided to put the fire brigade on a permanent and efficient basis and they agreed to an annual sum of £100 be set aside for this purposes. Up to this time insurance companies suscribed to keep up the fire brigade of Aberdeen.
The type of fire engine in 1855 was a manual pump. That is a hand operated pump. This required twenty-four men, twelve on each side of the engine, to operate the pump handles. Volunteers from the spectators were always available to do this strenuous task. It is reckoned that ten to fifteen minutes pumping was enough to practically exhaust most human beings.
As time went on improvements were made on that type of appliance but it was not until 1885 that Aberdeen provided itself with a mechanical appliance. This fire engine took the form of a horse drawn steam pumping appliance and this was kept in the fire station which by this time had moved to Frederick Street. This appliance did noble work up to the year l893 when a more up to date fire engine was installed. This appliance was called the 'Princess Mary!. This also was a steam appliance but of a much improved design.
The fire station at Frederick Street was looked upon as the acme of perfection until the spring of 1896 when a serious disaster occurred. Although the fire brigade was called a permanent brigade the firemaster and the personnel at that time carried out various other occupations. For instance the firemaster was also the Lighting Inspector and the remainder were slaters. On receipt of a fire call this meant that a messenger had to be sent all over town to look for the firemaster, who in turn had to hunt up his assistants. Valuable time was thus wasted and it is not surprising that a serious disaster eventually happened. This fire took place in Marischal Street where the brigade arrived approximately one hour after the alarm was given and were too late to save some of the occupants and the building, which was destroyed. As a result of the disaster and the resultant outcry the Town Council established the fire brigade on a basis somewhat similar to the present arrangement where the fire calls were received at the fire station where the personnel were available and they turned out very quickly after the call was received.
One has to bear in mind that at this period the fire engines were horse drawn and a call meant that the horses had to be harnessed to the appliance. This procedure took very few minutes, indeed the horses being so well trained that when the fire bell sounded they knew exactly what was required of them and they positioned themselves as soon as the stable door was opened.
Some fires, of course, were some distance from the fire station which meant the horses had to gallop this distance pulling this heavy fire engine and possibily a fire escape ladder and it was not unknown for a horse to collapse and on occasion die after reaching the fire.
In 1897 plans where put in hand for the building of a new fire station in King Street. This was to be known as the Central Fire Station and in 1899 this very impressive granite building was officially opened by Rotarian, Sir Alexander Lyon, the Convener of the Lighting, Watching and Fires Committee at that time.
The staff consisted of a Firemaster, Deputy Firemaster, eleven permanent and ten auxiliary firemen. The appliances at this time were two horse drawn steam pumps, one horse drawn escape ladder and six horses.
About this time a number of sub-fire stations were opened in various parts of the City in the following places: - Torry, Woodside, Mile-End. In each of these stations was kept a hose cart and ladders, with a fireman in constant attendance. The stations fulfilled a valuable service in as much that an appliance of a sort complete with an experienced fireman was on the scene of a fire in those further reaches of the City much sooner than the fire engine from King Street which also turned out to the fire. One must bear in mind that the city was not nearly as extensive as it is now. Nevertheless transport was not as speedy as it is now and it was necessary to provide this service. With the advent of motor fire appliances which were faster the brigade arrived more or less at the same time as the fireman from the sub station and eventually the sub stations were closed down. What with the traffic situation now, fire stations in Torry and Woodside may eventually be required again.
In the year 1905 Aberdeen Fire Brigade, as it was known, made another significant step with regard to modernisation. The Fire Committee bought a motor hose-reel appliance from Messrs. Merryweather, Greenwich, a firm of fire engineers. This appliance was reputed to be the first motor fire engine in Scotland. Very useful work was carried out by this machine and in March 1912 another motor appliance was added to the brigade fleet. This appliance was a 75 H.P. "Halley" which carried a five hundred gallon capacity turbine pump.
The purchase of this machine was virtually the beginning of the end of horses in the brigade. Four horses were dispensed with leaving only two to pull the horse drawn escape ladder or steamers where necessary. The "Halley" fire engine attended most of the fires in the City which varied from 160 - 210 calls per year.

1906 Merryweather Hose Reel Tender

Between 1921 and 1937 during the period that Firemaster F.G.Bell, M.I.Fire E., was in charge the following appliances and equipment was added:-