Ian Bruce died as the result of a Road Traffic Accident in Kelso on the 14th January, 1993.
Retained Fireman Ian Bruce (37), died when the fire appliance he was driving plunged into the River Tweed after crashing through the parapet of the 190 year old Rennie Bridge in Kelso, Roxburghshire, on the 14th January, 1993.
Firemen pulled from the icy waters of the Tweed after 50ft plunge
Driver dies as fire engine falls from bridge
A part time firefighter died
last night after a fire engine responding to an emergency call in the Borders
crashed through the parapet of Kelso Bridge and plunged about 50ft into the icy
waters of the river Tweed.
Five of his colleagues, also retained firefighters, were rescued by emergency
services which included colleagues of the men from the same fire station in
Kelso. The emergency call to Crailinghall Farm in Crailing, near Jedburgh turned
out to be a chimney fire.
Rescuers were supported by an RAF helicopter from Northumberland and local
people took to boats to help survivors.
An off duty ambulanceman with two friends was one of the first on the scene and
managed to get three of the victims off the vehicle which had landed on its
side, half submerged in six to seven feet of freezing water.
Others who had also managed to get on to the vehicle’s side were winched to
safety by a crane which lowered a basket over the parapet of the 190 year old
bridge, part of which had a 30ft gap caused by the accident.
It is understood that a lorry was on the bridge at the same time as the fire
engine was crossing it around 4-10 p.m.
The dead firefighter, who was trapped for an hour under the appliance, was later
named as Mr Ian Bruce, 37, of Queens Croft, Kelso, the driver of the fire
tender. He had eight year’s service and was understood to have worked for a
local electronics firm.
His body was recovered from the wreckage by police divers and fire service
personnel.
The survivors were taken to the Borders General Hospital at Melrose about 15
miles away.
They were named as Mr George Cockburn, 39; Mr Martin Meikle, 34; Mr William Cowe,
47; and Mr David Thomson, 28. They were being treated for hypothermia and shock.
Mr Thomson also had a thumb injury.
The fifth survivor, Mr Brian Fairbairn, 29, suffered a head injury and was the
only one detained overnight in hospital.
Assistant Divisional Officer Jim Hogg said later that the survivors were shocked
by the loss of their colleague and were too upset to talk about it.
“You are talking about a group of firemen who know each other very well and work
together closely as a team.”
It was the second tragedy in the past two months to hit the emergency personnel
who work in the market town 43 miles south of Edinburgh. A local ambulanceman
recently died in a road accident.
A spokesman for the Scottish Ambulance Service said it appeared that the local
community had reacted quickly after the accident.
“They did some good work,” he said. “The ambulance crews are obviously upset
about this. This is a small community and they work with the firefighters on a
regular basis.”
Within minutes of leaving the fire station, which has 15 retained firefighters,
the appliance had plunged into the Tweed through the parapet of the bridge built
in 1803 by John Rennie.
The rescue operation was launched as passers-by, one of whom described it as “an
utter horror”, raised the alarm.
Ambulance technicians and paramedics from Kelso, Galashiels, Hawick, and
Eyemouth went to the scene on the A698.
A spokesman for the brigade said the second Kelso appliance as well as ones from
Coldstream and Galashiels were at the scene.
The original emergency call to Crailing was dealt with by firefighters from
Jedburgh.
The cause of the bridge accident was being investigated by the fire brigade and
police.
(The Glasgow Herald, Friday January 15, 1993. Page 1.)
Fire engine recovery held up
<PHOTO> Ian Bruce
Attempts to recover the fire engine which crashed through the parapet of Kelso
Bridge in the Borders on Thursday, resulting in the death of the driver, was
abandoned yesterday.
Heavy overnight rain had swollen the River Tweed and senior officers from
Lothian and Borders Fire Brigade met later to discuss the possibility of
recovering the appliance on Monday if weather permits.
The Lothian and Borders Firemaster, Mr Peter Scott, yesterday expressed his
deepest sympathy for the family of the dead man, firefighter Ian Bruce, 37, of
Queens Croft, Kelso. Five of Mr Bruce’s colleagues were rescued.
One of the rescued men, Mr Brian Fairbairn, 29, from Kelso station, is expected
to be released from hospital today after treatment for head injuries.
Mr Scott, who spoke of the men’s harrowing experience, praised firefighters, who
were instrumental in effecting the rescue, and paid tribute to the other
emergency services and members of the public, who took to boats to help the
survivors.
The fire engine plunged almost 50 ft after an emergency call to a farm near
Jedburgh.
(The Herald, Saturday, January 16, 1993. Page 2.)
Final journey of a firefighter
<PHOTO> The coffin of
firefighter Ian Bruce, who died when a fire engine plunged into the river Tweed
from Kelso Bridge last week, is carried from Kelso Parish church by his
colleagues after his funeral yesterday. Leading the procession is Brian
Fairbairn, who survived the accident. Mr Bruce’s widow is comforted by the Rev.
Marion Dodd.
(The Herald, Thursday, January 21, 1993. Page 7.)