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 2005 | 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.