LDV 400 Light Fire Appliance

Light Fire Appliance Photos

As a result of the Integrated Risk Management Planning Draft Review of the 32 'Non Strategic' Units in 2005, Shieldaig was amalgamated with Torridon which became a Retained Unit. The other 31 Units were classed as Auxiliary support to the Brigade adopting the role of a Community Response Unit (CRU), CRU dealing with Wildfires, CRU dealing with Wildfires and RTAs, and on the Islands a Base Level Unit. The other 61 Auxiliary Units (Mobile and Non Mobile) became Retained Units.

Offshore Firefighting in Highland and Islands Fire Brigade

Stations Built

News

19/3/2013        Chief Fire Officer, Stewart Edgar, Fire Board Convener, Andrew Drever, Vice-Convener, Audrey Sinclair and Assistant Chief Fire Officer Billy Wilson, attended the official opening of the new fire station at St. Margarets Hope in the Orkney Islands today.

19/3/2013        Chief Fire Officer, Stewart Edgar, Fire Board Convener, Andrew Drever, Vice-Convener, Audrey Sinclair and Assistant Chief Fire Officer Billy Wilson, attended the official opening of the new fire station at John O’Groats today.

13/3/2013        Chief Fire Officer, Stewart Edgar, Fire Board Convener, Andrew Drever, Vice-Convener, Audrey Sinclair and Assistant Chief Fire Officer Billy Wilson, attended the official opening of the new fire stations at Fair Isle and Whalsay on the Shetland Islands today.

1/3/2013          The Fire Board voted today 13 to 8 to close the Community Safety Units at Knoydart and Eigg.

20/2/2013        Lochaline Fire Station wass officially opened tonight with Interim Chief Officer Stewart Edgar and Vice Convener of the Fire Board Audrey Sinclair attending. The fire station is part of the building that houses the Primary School and 60% of the crew are female.

31/8/2012        The Board agreed to close 4 fire stations within the Service area, namely Flotta, Foula, Outer Skerries and Boat of Garten and 6 Community Response Units (Evie, Mossbank, Achfary, Strathpeffer, Kyleakin and Waternish).
                        Although extensive community engagement and consultation has taken place, the Service has been unable to recruit sufficient people able to meet the National fitness and medical standards, and training requirements, to make these Units sustainable.
                        Two of these Units have never been available to respond to emergencies since their inception in 2005 and the others have not been available to respond to emergencies for some months.

Dec 2010      Temporary CFO Wynne whose secondment to H&IF&RS was due to end in January 2011 has been extended to May 2011 by mutual agreement. The Board will appoint an Interim CFO from May to December 2011 (minimum) to provide senior officer continuity while the future of the eight Scottish Fire Services are decided after the Scottish elections in may 2011.

2009/2010    The Gartan FSi Retained Availability System was extended to all Retained stations. This replaces the manual tally boards at stations which showed who was available and who was unavailable due to work, out of town, sick etc.

2009               The Rosenbauer HEROS-xtreme has been rolled out to stations. This helmet has a high impact and penetration resistance shell, a revolutionary lamp system, ergonomic inner lining with a trapezoidal chin strap for better stability and both a face shield and an eye protector visor.

4/6/2010        The Highland & Islands Fire Board has confirmed that it has appointed Trevor Johnson as Deputy Chief Fire Officer and Mike Holme as Assistant Chief Fire Officer.

27/11/2009    Chief Fire Officer Brian Murray QFSM BA(HONS) MA MIFireE is to retire in early January 2010 after almost 11 years as Chief Fire Officer. The Fire Board have been unable to recruit someone for the post and have appointed David Wynne QFSM, MBA, DMS, MIFireE, the Chief Fire Officer of Dumfries and Galloway, as Interim Chief Fire Officer for one year while the Board continues to look for a permanent Chief Fire Officer.

14/11/2009    The new station at Tongue was Officially Opened today, Saturday the 14th of November 2009.

23/10/2009    The new station at Aultbea is to be Officially Opened on Saturday the 31st October 2009.

5/8/2009    Chief Fire Officer Brian Murray has asked the Fire Board to approve his retiral in early January 2010.

2/3/2009    John Donaldson has been appointed Deputy Chief Fire Officer, he has been with the brigade for eleven years. He started with Fife Fire and Rescue Service which he joined in 1980.

31/12/2008    Douglas Colin MacDonald, Watch Manager of the Community Response Unit at Carrbridge has been awarded the Queens Fire Service Medal in the 2009 New Years Honours List.

September 2008    Every Water Tender Ladder and Midi appliance will be issued with 6 lifejackets, each with a throw line and knife, and every Light Fire Appliance will be issued with 4 lifejackets, each with a throw line and knife

With effect of the 25th August 2005 the Brigade changed it's name from Highland and Islands Fire Brigade to Highlands and Islands Fire and Rescue Service as instructed in the Fire Services Act (Scotland) 2004.

1/4/2005    All Auxiliary Units with the exception of the 32 under treat have been upgraded to Retained Status.

Deputy Firemaster Tony Munro is to retire on the 18th of March 2005.

Station Officer Gordon John Cook of Wick (C2) was awarded the M.B.E. in the New Year's Honours List 2005.

In his 2002 Report, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Fire Services for Scotland said the Brigade could be covered by 95 Units and finance would only be given for those 95. This  is a list of the 32 units which are now under threat of closure.    LIST OF UNITS

Kinlochleven is to be reduced to a 1 Pump Retained station and a new Retained station is to be built in the Ballachulish area.
(Fire Board Minutes 2001)
Fort William a 2 Pump Retained station is to get 1 wholetime crew on a 24 hour basis manning 1 Water Tender Ladder and 1 Emergency Tender supported by 1 Retained crew.
(Fire Board Minutes 2001)

Notes

In 2001 Highland and Islands fire brigade had 1516 operational firefighters who each had a firefighting kit costing £552.25. This was made up as follows:-

They above table doesn't add up to £552.25

THEY DIED ON DUTY

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