L&b.jpg (48111 bytes)

Lothian and Borders Fire Brigade was formed on the 16th of April 1975, after Local Government re-organisation, from the South Eastern Area Fire Brigade with the exception of Bo'ness which went to Central Region Fire Brigade.
The brigade has thirty six fire stations of which ten are wholetime, three are wholetime and retained and twenty three are retained. These stations run a total of fifty eight appliances made up of forty nine Water Tender Ladders (including Water Tender Ladders Rescue appliances) two Turntable Ladders, one Hydraulic Platform, one Aerial Ladder Platform, one Control Unit, 1 Emergency Tender, one Heavy Rescue Vehicle and two Incident Support Units.
At two pump stations the brigade used to run a Water Tender Ladder and a Water Tender, but the Water Tenders are being phased out and the stations are running with two Water Tender Ladders as machines are replaced.

 

Headquarters

1993                         Central Fire Station, Lauriston Place, EDINBURGH EH3 9DE.

Firemasters

1975 to 1980 Firemaster James Anderson CBE QFSM FIFireE
1980 to 1984 Firemaster William  M. G. Kerr QFSM FIFireE
1985 to 1989 Firemaster Richard J. Edmonds MIFireE
1989 to 1994 Firemaster Peter D. Scott QFSM MIFireE
1994 to 2002

Firemaster Colin M. Cranston QFSM GIFireE

2002 to 2010 Firemaster Brian M. Allaway QFSM FIFireE
July 2010 to 9/11/2011 Chief Fire Officer Jimmy Campbell QFSM, MA, MIFireE
9/11/2011 to Nov 2012 Acting Chief Fire Officer Alex Clark
9/11/2012 to 31/3/2013 Acting Chief Fire Officer David Millar QFSM

CFO Jimmy Campbell has been seconded to be lead officer of the Scottish Government's Fire Reform Programme.

 

Stations

  1975 1999
  Lauriston WT Replacement station 18/4/1986 30 Tollcross WT
  Sighthill WT   31 Sighthill WT
      20/5/1976 32 Liberton WT
  Dalkeith WT   33 Dalkeith WT
  Galashiels     34 Galashiels WT/RT
  Hawick     35 Hawick WT/RT
        36 Newcraighall WT
  Penicuik RT   37 Penicuik RT
  West Linton RT   38 West Linton RT
  Peebles RT   39 Peebles RT
  Innerleithen RT   40 Innerleithen RT
  Selkirk RT   41 Selkirk RT
  Newcastleton RT   42 Newcastleton RT
  Melrose RT Closed 31/8/2007 43 Melrose RT
      New Unit 1/9/2000 44 Lauder RT
  Jedburgh RT   45 Jedburgh RT
  Kelso RT   46 Kelso RT
  Coldstream RT   47 Coldstream RT
  Duns RT   48 Duns RT
  Eyemouth RT   49 Eyemouth RT
  Junction Place WT 17/6/1966 50 McDonald Road WT
  Stockbridge WT   51 Crewe Toll WT
  London Road WT   52 Marionville WT
  Musselburgh     53 Musselburgh WT
  Bathgate WT/RT   54 Bathgate WT/RT
      New Unit 21/3/1969 55 Livingston WT
      Unit formed ? 56 Fire Investigation Unit WT
        57 Not Used  
  South Queensferry RT   58 South Queensferry RT
  Broxburn RT   59 Broxburn RT
  West Calder RT   60 West Calder RT
      New Unit 13/4/1974 61 Whitburn RT
  Linlithgow RT   62 Linlithgow RT
        63 Not Used  
  Tranent RT   64 Tranent RT
  Haddington RT   65 Haddington RT
        66 Not Used  
  East Linton RT   67 East Linton RT
  North Berwick RT   68 North Berwick RT
  Dunbar RT   69 Dunbar RT
        M2ZF Control Room  

Stations opened

STATION OPERATIONAL OFFICIAL OPENING
Liberton   20/5/1976
Broxburn   6/11/1976
Innerleithen   13/10/1977
West Calder   22/4/1978
Jedburgh   19/4/1979
Selkirk   23/8/1979
Kelso   23/10/1980
South Queensferry   14/5/1981
Melrose   17/9/1981
North Berwick   18/3/1982
Tollcross   18/4/1986
Bathgate   24/4/1992
Newcraighall   9/12/1994
Lauder   1/9/2000

 

News

3/12/2012    North Berwick Fire Station and two appliances severely damaged by fire.

31/1/2012    Chief Fire Officer Jimmy Campbell will retire from his post as CFO on the 8th of March 2012. He will be the last CFO of Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service as the post will not be filled and acting Chief Fire Officer Alex Clark will remain in that post until the single Scottish Fire and Rescue Service comes into being in 2013. He is currently on secondment to the Scottish Government as the "lead Officer" for the Fire Reform Programme.

2011              Role structure changed from Manager to Commander e.g. Watch Manager now Watch Commander.

9/11/2011    Chief Fire Officer Jimmy Campbell has been seconded to the Scottish Government and started work as "lead officer" for the Scottish Government's Fire Reform Programme. Deputy Chief Fire Officer Alex Clark will become acting Chief Fire Officer.

8/1/2010      Chief Fire Officer Brian Allaway is to retire in June 2010 after 40 years service.

4/10/2009    The roll out of new non structural fire kit is to start. The new kit is lighter but the PBI Gold will still be kept for structural fires.

17th July 2008 New Rosenbaur Heros Extreme helmets fitted with a Peli 2460Z1 StealthLite Rechargeable torch went on the run. The torch is fitted to the side of the helmet with a Peli clip.

16/6/2007 In the Queen's Birthday Honours 2007, Watch Manager Gale Coates of Eyemouth Fire Station was awarded the Queen's Fire Service Medal.

In the 2005 to 2010 Integrated Risk Management Plan the Brigade are going to close Mussleburgh wholetime station and move the pump to a new Community Fire Station which will be built in the Wallyford area. This station will also house the Incident Support Unit which is presently based at Marrionville. The opening of this new station will also result in the closure of Tranent retained station.
McDonald Road wholetime station will close and be replaced by a one pump wholetime station in North Leith and one pump wholetime station in South Leith. It is likely in the next fiscal year the Brigade will replace one pump and the hydraulic platform with a ‘combi’ appliance. The Training School will be relocated to a new purpose built site.
Marionville wholetime station will close and the pump will move to Newcraighall and the Incident Support Unit to the new station in the Wallyford area.
Penicuik will get a new team of wholetime staff supporting the retained staff and working a new shift pattern.
Whitburn will get a new team of wholetime staff supporting the retained staff and working a new shift pattern.
Duns will get a new team of wholetime staff supporting the retained staff and working a new shift pattern.
The second wholetime pump at Livingstone will become retained crewed.
The retained station at Melrose will close and cover will be provided by Galashiels wholetime/retained station.
The third retained pump at Hawick will be removed.

 

Lothian and Borders Fire Brigade had a Grade 2 pipe band which used to practice at McDonald Road Fire Station. Dave Henry was a drummer and left the band around 1987/89 and shortly after that the band was disbanded.
In 1970 at the opening of Linlithgow Fire Station the South Eastern Fire Brigade Pipe Band played under the direction of Pipe Major A. Mitchell.

 

THEY DIED ON DUTY

 

MAIN INDEX                            1975 INDEX