Fire Brigade Scotland Photos

Tayside Fire and Rescue covers an area of approximately 7,500 square kilometres, with a population of approximately 400,000. The majority of the population is centred in Dundee and Perth with the remainder spread throughout a number of market towns and rural villages in Angus and Perth & Kinross.
Tayside Fire and Rescue’s 721 operational firefighters crew a total of 50 fire appliances based at 24 strategically located fire stations. These personnel are dedicated and motivated individuals spanning Wholetime, Retained and Volunteer coverage for the organisation’s area. Wholetime crews offer emergency cover 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, working day and night shifts over a 4-day shift system. This is based on a 2 day shift, 2 night shift rota system, with rest or rota days in between. Retained firefighters are available 365 days a year and live or work within close proximity of the local fire station. They may have other occupations, but once their pocket alerter activates they swing into action from home or place of work.
The fire and rescue authority also employ Volunteer firefighters at 3 stations in the more remote areas of the organisation. Responding to a pocket alerter, the volunteer personnel provide valuable cover as well as working in their local community areas.

Working closely with operational personnel, command and control centre personnel provide a vital first point of contact between members of the community requiring emergency response services from Tayside Fire and Rescue. The organisation also relies on the varied skills of support services personnel, who play an essential role in the provision of our services to the public.

New image added to Highlands & Islands Section

V558JST

New photos of Fife appliances have been added

WX54UUV USAR POD

GSP741E Height Appliance

SN56CVL Water Tender

PXA538J Emergency Tender

C459RSF Height Appliance

See these in The Fife Gallery, Click on the Fife Tab at top of the Page

On the 16th May 1975 due to Local government reorganisation the Angus Fire Brigade and the Perth and Kinross Fire Brigade were amalgamated to form the Tayside Fire Brigade. The Brigade provides fire cover to three Councils: Angus Council, Dundee City Council and Perth & Kinross Council. The Brigade is governed by the Tayside Fire Board, which consists of eighteen members from the above three Councils.
The Brigade is split into two Divisions.

Area covered 7,500 square Kilometres. Population nearly 400,000

There are :-
4 Wholetime Stations
2 Wholetime/Retained Stations
15 Retained Stations
3 Volunteer Stations

With a staff of:-
409 Wholetime
276 Retained
36 Volunteer  (less number that were at Airlie)

Manning :-
37 Water Tender Ladders
4 Road Rescue Units
2 Foam Salvage Tenders
2 Emergency Tenders
2 Prime Movers 1 BA Support and 1 Canteen Pods.
2 Aerial Ladder Platforms
1 Hydraulic Platforms
1 Control Unit
1 All Terrain Vehicle

The Command and Control Centre is a separate building at Macalpine Road and has a staff of twenty.

On 16th May 1975 under Local Government re-organisation part of Central Area Fire Brigade, the Glasgow Fire Service, the Lanarkshire Fire Brigade, part of South Western Area Fire Brigade and part of Western Area Fire Brigade joined to form Strathclyde Fire Brigade.
Strathclyde Fire Brigade is the largest in Scotland and among the four largest in the United Kingdom. It covers an area of 13,850 km (5,348 square miles), from the remotest areas of rural Argyll to industrial North Lanarkshire and the multi-storey blocks and congested city centre of Glasgow. Within its boundaries the Brigade faces a wide range of potential fire hazards. there are two major airports at Glasgow and Prestwick, and three smaller airports in other parts of the region, heavy and light engineering plant, shipyards and docks, ordnance factories, chemical works, oil installations, a nuclear power station, distilleries and large whisky bonds, steelworks, thousands of acres of forestry and grassland, and a number of historic buildings, often in isolated areas. The variety of situations which could arise is boundless.

From 1975 until 1996 the brigade was administered by the Police and Fire Committee of Strathclyde Regional Council which was made up of twenty eight Councillors. Since 1996, when Local Government re-organisation abolished the Regional and District Councils forming Unitary Authorities in their place, the brigade has been administered by the Strathclyde Joint Fire Board and is made up of Councillors from the following Councils:-

There were six divisions (A,B,C,D,E, and F) Each Division had a Senior Divisional Officer as Divisional Commander. In 1995 the six divisions were rearranged into four commands, Central, East, North and West. Central and West having an Assistant Firemaster as Commander and the other two Senior Divisional Officers as Commander.

At the start there were five Control Rooms:-

In March 1978 rationalisation of Controls proposed that the five controls would become two with one at Johnstone and the other at the new Cowcaddens headquarters now being build. This never happened.
What happened was that Charlie and Foxtrot Controls combined to form Juliet Control (J for Joint Control) at Johnstone and then the other three (Glasgow (GX), Ayr (AF) and Hamilton (FN)) moved to Johnstone and it was known as Control. It would appear that the Home Office as governing body told Strathclyde Fire Brigade that it couldn’t just call it Control and they would need to use it’s call-sign so it is now called M2GX.

Lothain and Borders Fire Brigade was formed on the 16th of April 1975,after Local Governmet 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 Tender are being phased out and the stations are running with two Water Tender Ladders as machines are replaced.

n the 16th May 1975, as a result of Local Government reorganisation, the Northern Area Fire Brigade along with seven stations from the Western Area Fire Brigade and two stations from the North Eastern Fire Brigade joined together to form the Northern Fire Brigade .This brigade provided fire cover to the Highland Region, Orkney Islands, Shetland Islands and the Western Isles. In February 1983 to better reflect the area covered by the brigade the name was changed to the Highland and Islands Fire Brigade. The brigade covers an area of 12,000 sq miles which makes it the largest in Europe.
The Brigade is divided up into three Divisions, which are further divided to make a total of ten Districts. Since Local Government re-organisation on 16th May 1996 the function of the Brigade has been overseen by the Highland and Islands Fire Board which is made up of sixteen Councillors from the Highland Council, four Councillors from the Western Isles, two Councillors from the Orkney Islands and two Councillors from the Shetland Islands.
The Brigade has a policy of upgrading the Auxiliary Units to Breathing Apparatus status and is currently upgrading ten Units per year.

Area Covered 12,000 Square Miles             Population 280,000

The brigade consists of:-
1 Wholetime and retained station
2 three pump retained stations
11 two pump retained stations
20 one pump retained stations
59 mobile Auxiliary Units
34 non mobile Auxiliary Units

The establishment at the various types of units are:-

There are 4 types of Auxiliary Unit:- Ultra Light Fire Appliance, Light Fire Appliance, Light Fire Appliance with BA, Midi Fire Appliance with BA.

Manning:-

46 Water Tender Ladders
4 Midi Water Tenders
42 Light Fire Appliances
6 Ultra Light Fire Appliances
1 Aerial Ladder Platform
1 Control Unit
1 Emergency Tender
1 Water Carrier
1 Foam Unit

The management Team consists of :-

1 Firemaster
1 Deputy Firemaster
1 Third Officer (Divisional Officer I)
3 Divisional Commanders (Divisional Officer II)
1 Senior Fire Safety Officer (Divisional Officer II)
1 Brigade Training Officer (Divisional Officer II)

The Personnel at 1999/2000 consisted of :-

150 Wholetime Firefighters
558 Retained Firefighters
882 Auxiliary Firefighters
49 Civilian Staff

Grampian Fire  Brigade was formed 16th May, 1975 with the stations from the North Eastern Fire Brigade except Granton on Spey and Nairn which went to Northern Fire Brigade.
It covers 3,500 square miles with a population of 523,400, made up of the Local Authority areas of Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire and Moray Councils.
The Brigade was administered by Grampian Regional Council Public Protection Committee, which had 20 members from 1975 until 1996. On the 1st April 1996, following Local Government Reorganisation administration of the brigade was transferred to Grampian Fire Board.
On Friday 24th October, 2003 Grampian Fire Board made the decision that Grampian Fire Brigade would be known as Grampian Fire and Rescue Service.
The Brigade consists of :- 40 stations made up of 3 Wholetime, 2 Wholetime/Retained, 1 Day Manning, 33 Retained and 1 Volunteer.

There are :-

350    Wholetime Firefighters
466    Retained Firefighters
32      Volunteer Firefighters
22      Control Room staff

Manning :-

55  Pumps
2    Turntable Ladders
1    Hydraulic Platform
2    Water Carriers
1    Control Unit
1    Heavy Rescue Vehicle
1    Line Rescue Unit
4    Prime Movers
2    Land Rovers (Relief Crews for Water Carriers)

Brigade Structure

1    Firemaster
1    Deputy Firemaster
1    Assistant Firemaster
4    Senior Divisional Officers (Operations, Training, Fire Safety and Corporate services)
2    Civilians (Head of Finance and Head of Personnel)

Fife Fire & Rescue Service

On 16th May 1975, Fife Fire Brigade kept the same name and covered the same area but was now administered by Fife Regional Council. In 1985 the brigade changed its name to Fife Fire and Rescue Service to better describe the modern function of the service. On the 1st April 1996, following Local Government Reorganisation administration of the brigade was transferred to Fife Council Protective Services Committee but the area covered remained the same. The Committee has 26 members.

Area covered         1,307 square kilometres             Population         345,000

There are :-
6     Wholetime stations
8    Retained stations

With:-
375    Wholetime Personnel (DO II down)
102    Retained Personnel
21      Control Room Staff
28      Support Staff (Civilians)

Manning:-
21    Water Tender ladders
2      Aerial Ladder Platforms
1      Foam Carrier
1      Emergency Tender
1      Control Unit

Management Team:-
1    Firemaster
1    Deputy Firemaster
1    Commander Operations (DO I)
1    Commander Support (DO I)

correct at 2000

Dumfries & Galloway

Dumfries & Galloway Fire Brigade was eventually formed, after a fight, from part of the Western Area Fire Brigade on the 16th May, 1975. At first it was administered by Strathclyde Regional Council, then by Dumfries and Galloway Regional Council. On 1st April 1996 after Local Government reform it was administered by the Dumfries and Galloway Police, Fire and Public Protection Committee.

The Brigade consists of :-

1 Wholetime and Retained station
1 Two Pump and Special Retained station
2 Two Pump Retained stations
12 One Pump Retained stations

Manning :-

21 Water Tender Ladders
1 Aerial Ladder Platform
1 Major Rescue Vehicle
1 Incident Control Unit
1 Incident Support Unit
1 Volunteer Trailer Unit

The Management Team consists of :-

1 Firemaster
1 Deputy Firemater
1 Third Officer                                     (Divisional Officer DO I)
1 Principle Administrative Officer    (Civilian)
1 Commander Operations             (Divisional Officer DO II)
1 Commander Safety                     (Divisional Officer DO II)
1 Commander Support Services    (Divisional Officer DO II)

The Personnel at 2000 consisted of :-

99 Wholetime Firefighters
191 Retained Firefighters
10 Volunteer Firefighters
15 Control Room Staff
12 Civilian Staff Wholetime
1 Civilian Staff Part time