SOUTH WESTERN AREA FIRE BRIGADE
The South Western Area Fire Brigade came into operation on the 1st May, 1948 under the Fire Services Act,1947 covering the counties of Ayr, Dumfries, Kirkcudbright and Wigtown, and the burghs of Ayr, Dumfries and Kilmarnock. The Brigade continued until Regionalisation on 16th May, 1975 when part of it went into Strathclyde Fire Brigade and the remainder formed Dumfries and Galloway Fire Brigade.
The South Western Area Fire Brigade covered an area of 3,600 square miles and in 1954 it had a population of 472,960.
The South Western Area Fire Joint Board was made up of the following representatives in 1957:-
10 representatives from Ayr County Council
3 representatives from Dumfries County Council
2 representatives from Kirkcudbright County Council
2 representatives from Wigtown County Council
4 representatives from Ayr Town Council
3 representatives from Kilmarnock Town Council
2 representatives from Dumfries Town Council
Headquarters
| 1948 to 1963 | Fire Station, 100 Titchfield Road, KILMARNOCK, Ayrshire |
| 1963 to 1975 | Fire Station, 3 Station Road, AYR, Ayrshire |
Firemasters
| 16/5/1948 to 16/1/1953 | Firemaster Peter Dunn OBE, FIFireE. |
| 13/3/1953 to 30/6/1972 | Firemaster Harry Mackay OBE, QFSM. |
| 1/7/1972 to 1975 | Firemaster James Knowlton CBE, QFSM, FIFireE. |
Stations
| 1948 | 1975 | |||
| Ayr | WT/RT | Ayr | WT | |
| Kilmarnock | WT/RT | Kilmarnock | WT | |
| Dumfries | WT/RT | Dumfries | WT | |
| Ardrossan | WT/RT | Ardrossan | WT | |
| New station 16/10/1970 | Irvine North | WT | ||
| Beith | RT | Beith | RT | |
| Colmonell | RT | Colmonell | RT | |
| Cumnock | RT | Cumnock | RT | |
| New Cumnock | RT | Closed since 1947. New station opened 25/11/1965 | New Cumnock | RT |
| Dalmellington | RT | Dalmellington | RT | |
| Dalry | RT | Dalry | RT | |
| Girvan | RT | Girvan | RT | |
| Irvine | RT | Irvine | RT | |
| Kilbirnie | RT | Kilbirnie | RT | |
| Largs | RT | Largs | RT | |
| Mauchline | RT | Mauchline | RT | |
| Maybole | RT | Maybole | RT | |
| Muirkirk | RT | Muirkirk | RT | |
| Newmilns | RT | Newmilns | RT | |
| Skelmorlie | RT | Skelmorlie | RT | |
| Stewarton | RT | Stewarton | RT | |
| Troon | RT | Troon | RT | |
| Annan | RT | Annan | RT | |
| Langholm | RT | Langholm | RT | |
| Lockerbie | RT | Lockerbie | RT | |
| Moffat | RT | Moffat | RT | |
| Sanquhar | RT | Sanquhar | RT | |
| Thornhill | RT | Thornhill | RT | |
| Castle Douglas | RT | Castle Douglas | RT | |
| Dalbeatie | RT | Dalbeattie | RT | |
| Gatehouse of Fleet | RT | Gatehouse of Fleet | RT | |
| Kirkcudbright | RT | Kirkcudbright | RT | |
| New Galloway | RT | New Galloway | RT | |
| Newton Stewart | RT | Newton Stewart | RT | |
| Stranraer | RT | Stranraer | RT | |
| Whithorn | RT | Whithorn | RT | |
| Wigtown | RT | * Closed ? | ||
| Gretna | RT | * Closed ? New station opened 31/10/1968 | Gretna | RT |
| Ballantrae | Volunteer |
* These units were temporally closed as there were no suitable premises
1957 the following had been opened in addition to the above.
| Drummore | Volunteer |
| Glenluce | Volunteer |
| Barrhill | Volunteer |
| Port William | Volunteer |
By 1975 the five Volunteer stations had all been disbanded
1975
| A DIVISION | B DIVISION | C DIVISION | |||||
| Ardrossan | WT | Dumfries | WT | Colmonell | RT | ||
| Ayr | WT | Annan | RT | Gatehouse | RT | ||
| Irvine North | WT | Castle Douglas | RT | Girvan | RT | ||
| Kilmarnock | WT | Dalbeattie | RT | Kirkcudbright | RT | ||
| Beith | RT | Gretna | RT | New Galloway | RT | ||
| Cumnock | RT | Langholm | RT | Newton Stewart | RT | ||
| Dalmellington | RT | Lockerbie | RT | Stranraer | RT | ||
| Dalry | RT | Moffat | RT | Whithorn | RT | ||
| Irvine | RT | Sanquhar | RT | ||||
| Kilbirnie | RT | Thornhill | RT | ||||
| Largs | RT | ||||||
| Mauchline | RT | ||||||
| Maybole | RT | ||||||
| Muirkirk | RT | ||||||
| Newmilns | RT | ||||||
| New Cumnock | RT | ||||||
| Skelmorlie | RT | ||||||
| Stewarton | RT | ||||||
| Troon | RT |
Stations Opened
| Occupied | Official opening | |
| Kilbirnie | 1952 | |
| Newmilns | 2/9/1953 | |
| Girvan | 10/10/1955 | 15/11/1956 |
| Largs | 25/5/1955 | 4/11/1955 |
| Langholm | 5/5/1956 | |
| Dalmellington | 9/7/1956 | |
| Ardrossan | Oct 1957 | |
| Colmonell | 28/11/1957 | |
| Dumfries | 1958 | |
| Maybole | Nov. 1959 | 18/1/1960 |
| Stranraer | 19/7/1960 | 22/9/1960 |
| Stewarton | 17/1/1962 | |
| Beith | 23/2/1962 | |
| Ayr | 28/5/1963 | 30/5/1963 |
| Mauchline | 18/12/1963 | |
| Cumnock | 15/12/1964 | |
| New Cumnock | 25/11/1965 | 25/5/1966 |
| Newton Stewart | 26/5/1966 | |
| Gretna | 31/10/1968 | |
| Irvine North | 16/10/1970 | |
| Kirkcudbright | 20/8/1971 | |
| Sanquhar | 1973 | |
| Dalbeattie | 1973 | |
| Annan | 1974 | |
The following appliances were purchased
| 1954 | Commer Dual Purpose with 50' Morris Ajax Escape | Dumfries |
| Commer Dual Purpose with 50' Morris Ajax Escape | Girvan | |
| 1955 | Dennis F8 Type B Water Tender | Annan |
| Dennis F8 Self Propelled Pump with 45' Merryweather Light Alloy Ladder | Kilmarnock | |
| 1956 | Bedford Type B Water Tender Alloy Body | Castle Douglas |
| Bedford Type B Water Tender Alloy Body | Cumnock | |
| Bedford Type B Water Tender Coachbuilt Body | Dalmellington | |
| 1957 | Dennis Dodge Type B Water Tender | Stranraer |
| Bedford Type B Water Tender | Mauchline | |
| 1958 | Dennis Dodge Type B Water Tender | Ardrossan |
| Dennis Dodge Type B Water Tender with 45' Alloy Ladder | Dumfries | |
| Bedford Type B Water Tender | Moffat | |
| 1959 | Dennis Dodge Type B Water Tender | Dalry |
| Bedford Type B Water Tender | Lockerbie | |
| 1960 | Commer/Magirus 100ft Turntable Ladder | Kilmarnock |
| 1961 | ? | |
| 1962 | ? | |
| 1961 | Dennis Type B Water Tender | Troon |
| Bedford Type B Water Tender | Maybole | |
| 4x4 Redwing Land Rover | Strantaer | |
| 1963 | Bedford Type B Water Tender | Girvan |
| Bedford Type B Water Tender | Kirkcudbright | |
| Bedford Type B Water Tender | Langholm | |
| 1964 | Bedford Type B Water Tender | Beith |
| Bedford Type B Water Tender | Kirkcudbright | |
| Bedford Type B Water Tender | Langholm | |
| Bedford Type B Water Tender | Maybole | |
| Bedford Type B Water Tender | Stewarton | |
| 1965 | Bedford Type B Water Tender | Dalbeattie |
| Bedford Type B Water Tender | Irvine | |
| Bedford Type B Water Tender | Muirkirk | |
| Bedford Type B Water Tender | Thornhill | |
| 1966 | Bedford Type B Water Tender | Largs |
| Bedford Type B Water Tender | Newmilns | |
| Bedford Type B Water Tender | Whithorn | |
| 1967 | Bedford Type B Water Tender | Colmonell |
| Bedford Type B Water Tender | Gatehouse | |
| Bedford Type B Water Tender | New Comnock | |
| Bedford Type B Water Tender | Skelmorlie | |
| 1968 | Bedford Type B Water Tender | Ayr |
| Bedford Type B Water Tender | Kilmarnock | |
| Bedford Type B Water Tender | New Galloway | |
| 1969 | Bedford Type B Water Tender | Dumfries |
| Bedford Type B Water Tender | Gretna | |
| Dual Purpose Appliance | Ayr | |
| Dual Purpose Appliance | Kilmarnock | |
| 1970 | Type B Water Tender | Ayr |
| Type B Water Tender | Irvine North | |
| Type B Water Tender | Irvine North | |
| Type B Water Tender | Dumfries | |
| Type B Water Tender | Kilmarnock | |
| Type B Water Tender | Newton Stewart | |
| 1971 | Orbiter 72' Hydraulic Platform | Ayr |
| Land Rover Breathing Apparatus/Radio/Accident Van | Kilmarnock | |
| Land Rover Breathing Apparatus/Radio/Accident Van | Dumfries | |