Establishment 2000

Linlithgow had a call sign of 62 in Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service, this was changed to L20, the new National Call Sign on 3/5/2017.

There is a single Patient Transport Service crew based at Linlithgow and a spare vehicle is also kept there. (2021 December)

Linlithgow's community magazine "The Black Bitch" carried articles about the history of Linlithgow Fire Service in issues 79 and 80 (January and March 2021)
Fighting Fire in Linlithgow Part 1    Issue-79-all-pages.pdf (linlithgowcommunitymagazine.co.uk)
Fighting Fire in Linlithgow part 2    Issue-80-all-pages-1.pdf (linlithgowcommunitymagazine.co.uk)

New fire station for Linlithgow
BUILDING OPENED BY COUNCILLOR 

The Official opening of Linlithgow’s new £3,000 Fire Station on Saturday by County Councillor W. Drummond marked the beginning of a new technically advanced and super efficient era for the local team of firemen.
“During the past 70 years since the turn of the century the service has progressed a very long way from when the Burgh, in time of emergency, had to depend solely on a manual pump.” This remark was made by Bailie William Simpson-Bell, who is chairman of the South Eastern Fire Area Joint Committee.
He went on to express the pleasure which the joint board had in seeing yet another brand new fire station spring up in their area and thanked everyone who had worked so hard to help house Linlithgow’s firemen in a more fitting premises. In particular he thanked Linlithgow Town Council for their important role in the building of the new station.
The majority of the Council members attended this official opening including Provost Fergus Byrne and the former Town Clerk, Mr George Brown.
At the conclusion of this brief speech, Bailie Simpson-Bell, of Edinburgh Town Council invited County Councillor W. Drummond to perform the opening ceremony.

AN HONOUR

The West Lothian councillor said “It is indeed a great honour for me to open this splendid new fire station. When you consider that I have only been a member of the Joint Board for about three years, I may be considered as the bairn of the outfit. During this time, however, I have seen many fire stations opened, this being the second in West Lothian.”
Councillor Drummond sincerely thanked local Firemaster F. Rushbrook, C.B.E., M.I.FireE., A.I.Mar.E., for his unwavering services to the community and said it would be a great loss when he retired in about two months time. “I hope you have a long and happy retirement sir. You certainly have earned one,” he added.
The Fire Station was formally declared open and then a brief prayer of dedication was offered by the Rev. Dr David Steel of St Michael’s Church, Linlithgow.
As a memento of the ceremony Bailie Simpson-Bell presented both Councillor Drummond and Dr Steel with pen stands decorated with replicas of fire engines.
After an inspection of the station personnel by Councillor Drummond, the call out glass was broken and the deafening siren followed immediately. Members of the Linlithgow unit had arranged a mock car smash and fire in the yard outside and a drill display followed.
They reacted with lightening speed and within a matter of minutes cut a “body” free from a car and carried out a rescue from the fire tower which was belching thick yellow smoke.
Following this display a selection of pipe music was rendered by the South Eastern Fire Brigade Pipe Band under the direction of Pipe Major A. Mitchell.

LOOK ROUND

The guests were then invited to have a look round the premises and finally congregated in the lecture room where a buffet was provided.
<PHOTO> of fireman with jet at tanker. Captioned On Monday a “Fina” petrol tanker which was returning to its Grangemouth depot for another 3000 gallon load, jack-knifed at the “Troughstane” near Kingscavil.
Diesel from the tanker’s engine spilled onto the road and Linlithgow Fire Brigade were called to sluice down the A9 as single line traffic filed past the crashed vehicle for half an hour. No one was hurt.
The new station, which is situated on a triangular site east of Philip Avenue, has access to the main East West roads running through the town and also to the roads running south to Armadale and north to Bo’ness.
It is a single storey building consisting of an appliance room, muster room, watchroom, workshop and drying room. In addition it contains a large lecture room, kitchen and washroom.
The lecture room is light and spacious, ideally suited for its purpose with a pine ceiling bevelled at the corners in contemporary fashion.

DRILL YARD

Showers are available in the washroom and form a most important and welcome feature to a smoke begrimed, perspiration soaked fireman on his return from a blaze.
A drill yard is situated to the rear of the Fire Station and is equipped with a 60 foot high practice tower which is also used for hose drying. Although the present yard is restricted it is hoped that in the not too distant future the Town Council will give permission for the training yard to be extended towards the Bo’ness Road.
The earliest record of the Fire Brigade in Linlithgow is 1900 when the Burgh had a manual pump. This was replaced by a horse drawn engine which was housed under the Burgh Halls (south west corner). About the year 1920 this appliance was adapted so that it could be towed by a lorry. The firemaster at Linlithgow at this time was a Mr Wallace.
About the year 1930, Mr Swan took over as Firemaster and a self propelled Merryweather pump was purchased from the city of Edinburgh. This appliance continued to serve Linlithgow until the outbreak of war in 1939. In 1937 Mr J. Dalrymple was appointed Firemaster on a part time basis. At that time Mr Dalrymple was a driver employed by the Royal Burgh of Linlithgow.

IN MUSEUM

When the Fire Service was nationalised, Linlithgow became part of the South Eastern Fire Brigade. The present appliance at Linlithgow replaced a 1936 Dennis New World Ace, which can now be seen in the Brigade Museum at McDonald Road, Edinburgh. As a point of interest this appliance appeared in the well known BBC television series “Dr Finlay’s Casebook.”
The system of call out for retained personnel in Linlithgow is by house bells during the night and by house bells and siren during the day.
(Journal and Gazette, Friday, February 20, 1970 Pages 5 & 9)

NEW STATION FOR LINLITHGOW

A new £30,000 retained station for Linlithgow, South Eastern Scotland, has been opened by Coun. W. Drummond, West Lothian Member of the Joint Fire Committee.
It is a single storey building with appliance room, adjoining muster room, watchroom, workshop, drying room, large lecture room, kitchen and washroom.
(Fire magazine Vol. 62 No.778 April 1970. Page 576.)

If you know of any mistakes in this or have any additional information please let me know.