Recruitment call for fighters in Ross-shire communities, amongst them Fortrose and Invergordon, scene of devastating blazes
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A CALL has gone out for firefighter recruits in two Ross-shire communities which have witnessed devastating blazes in recent times.
The bid to ensure stations have cover has singled out Invergordon and Fortrose in a recruitment drive that would see recruits play a vital role in their communities.
Invergordon has witnessed two devastating blazes at Park Primary in recent years while Fortrose was the scene of two significant house fires in recent times.
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A leading Scottish Fire and Rescue Service firefighter wants to see others keen to help tackle blazes and attend road accident emergencies step up.
Dean MacFadden, the retained and volunteer support watch commander for Ross-shire, has been in the service for nine years and was originally part of the on-call, retained set-up.
The role can lead to many new experiences and transferable skills and the extra income can help family budgets.
He said: "We have had some interest in the roles after we recently put out a call but we are still looking for people to come forward.Our on-call staff and colleagues do such an incredible job.
"The role of a firefighter is varied and responds to emergencies. We also attend to other emergencies with incidents involving road traffic collisions and flooding."
The SFRS is looking for people from all walks of life. Applicants must meet a minimum fitness assessment and be 18 or over.
Mr MacFadden insisted: "No one is turned away without us making a real consideration of what they could offer to the service. People should have a good level of fitness and they will have to pass a number of tests."
He said: "We do these tests because in the field people can find themselves in heavy, hot fire gear and we want to make sure we are not putting any of our new recruits into a situation that they cannot manage."
Volunteers must be able to respond to the call and be at the station within five to eight minutes to meet the requirement.
He said: "People should not be put off by gender, location, age – we really want to hear from all sectors of the community.We want to make sure we have the resilience we need in our rural communities and we want to ensure we have the appropriate cover in place to serve those communities."
As well as transferable skills from HGV licences, first aid and health and safety training, the volunteer and retainer fee brings in "a couple of hundred pounds" each month, but more than that - it brings with it "personal satisfaction that we have done a good job".
Invergordon councillor Maxine Smith said Highland fire stations rely heavily on retained firefighters and employers will release staff for training and emergency calls.
She said: "The safety of the local areas is in their hands. It’s an exciting job to be involved in and extremely rewarding when lives are saved. Without these brave people we would see many more lives lost. I urge people to come forward, especially more women. Two of my best female friends were retained fire fighters based in Invergordon and one has gone on to an extremely lucrative career in the MOD. Full training is given and the pay is good."
Black Isle councillor Gordon Adam said: "I know it is a big commitment but it is a very worthwhile role in the community."
More at www.firescotland.gov.uk
