Community open day to mark 50 years of Wick fire station
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Fifty years of firefighting will be celebrated at a community event in Wick next weekend.
The local crew of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SRFS) are hosting a “doors open day" on Saturday, September 21, marking half century since the present station in Martha Terrace was built.
Members of the public are invited to go along and meet the team, have a tour of the station, look at archive photos and watch hands-on demonstrations. It will be a family-friendly occasion with youngsters getting the chance to go inside the fire appliances, and it is hoped other emergency services will take part too.
One of the main attractions will be the SRFS mobile museum. It has five screens showing historical presentations, as well as a range of artefacts including mannequins in old and new fire kit.
There is also an opportunity for visitors to have their photos taken wearing firefighter dressing-up gear.
Members of the current Wick crew are especially looking forward to welcoming former firefighters and showing them how aspects of the job have changed over the years.
Acting watch manager Hugo Ross and crew manager Colin Gunn are among those organising the event, which will run from 10am until around 4pm.
“It’ll be a community day,” Hugo (55) said. “We’re inviting past and present members and most importantly the community, just to see what we do, how we do it and why we do it. At the end of the day we’re serving the community – that’s what we’re here for.
“We’re going to have all our road traffic accident equipment and our cutting gear out so people that are interested can have a look at that.
“A lot of the guys from years ago, they’ve probably never seen our modern stuff as it has moved on so much. We’ve got defibrillators now on the appliance, we’ve got resuscitators, and we’ll have a table with all our CPR equipment.
“Some people might want to sit and have a cup of tea and a blether about the old days.”
We want to let people come in and see what it’s all about.
Colin (57) explained: “The public will be able to wander round and we’re hoping to have a continuous run of old crew photos on a screen in the station.
“We want to let them come in and see what it’s all about. There’s a lot more to it now than there was years ago.”
Hugo added: “It’s not just a fire service – it’s a rescue service nowadays, and preventing fires is a big thing, so fire prevention will have a presence here as well. If anybody is unsure about their house we’ll do a survey, and we have a full-time officer who does that.
“We’re more involved in working with the community and educating the community.
“Training now is a lot better. There’s a lot of training modules that we’ve got to go through. Health and safety is a big thing as well, it has moved on, and we’re better equipped now than ever.
“Even the methods of firefighting are changing – it’s a lot more advanced.”
Crew members past and present will be invited to an evening function where they will be able to renew old friendships and share a few reminiscences.
There is a close bond between Wick’s firefighters, and one reason for this is the long-term commitment many of them have given to the service. Richard Mackay, who shares crew manager duties, is the longest-serving at present – he is in his 41st year.
Wick has a crew of 20 retained firefighters, all of whom carry pager contact, and at least 10 of them have completed 20-plus years.
“That’s a lot of dedication,” said Hugo, who, like Colin, has given 33 years’ service. “Everybody gets on well together. We just pull together and we get on with it and we watch out for each other.”
Colin added: “It’s a kind of family in here. We’ve come across a lot of bad house fires or road accidents, but someone has got to do it.”
Anyone interested in joining the service will be made welcome and will be given all the information they need.
“We’re continuously looking for new recruits,” Colin said. “It’s hard getting recruits for retained now, and the training is a lot harder as well.”
Despite the demands, the tough training, the hard work, the potential dangers and the knowledge that the next emergency call could come at any time, day or night, Hugo and Colin and others like them find firefighting to be rewarding and fulfilling.
“It’s giving something back to your community – I think that’s what it is,” Hugo said. “Colin and I joined within a few months of each other. It becomes your life.
“You might curse it when you’re wanting to go away and do something and the pager goes off. But, as we always say, that’s what you joined up for.
“All the guys before us, they’ve all done the same – Wick has always had a good long-standing, dedicated crew.”
