FIREFIGHTING IN THE MIDDLE EAST - Strathclyde Fire & Rescue

therun 

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ISSUE NUMBER 2/SPRING 2007 

R E T I R E D E M P L O Y E E S A S S O C I A T I O N 

FIREFIGHTING IN THE 

MIDDLE EAST 

One REA member’s memories 

WATER RESCUE 

SFR’S new equipment 

■ Ground Zero revisited Page 12 

■ Will Services Page 20 

■ Cheapside Street Memorial Page 23 

N E W S ❖ R E V I E W S ❖ L E T T E R S ❖ H E A L T H ❖ C R O S S W O R D ❖ R E T I R A L S

Message from the 

Chief Officer 

FRIENDS AND collEAguES, welcome back to Off The Run. 

I am sure you enjoyed the first issue of your magazine, and I am 

confident that Issue 2 will be just as enjoyable and informative. 

We only have to look at the range of articles submitted to the 

magazine to realise that the Retired Employees Association is 

well into its stride. It is fascinating to read of the wide variety of 

activities experienced by former colleagues – from a poignant 

Off the Run continues 

to provide an important 

advice and welfare role. 

Nr 2 n SPRING 2007 

visit to the site of the World 

Trade Centre to firefighting 

in the desert, with a gecko 

for company! 

Off The Run continues to provide an important advice and 

welfare role through, for instance, the Health Issues column 

and the announcement of the launch of our innovative SFRXtra 

website which offers excellent discounts on a wide variety of 

products and services. 

Lastly, Off The Run lets continues to inform you of changes 

taking place in Strathclyde Fire & Rescue, including a description 

of our new rank to role structure and a look at an aspect of our 

new water rescue service. 

I do hope that you continue to enjoy and contribute to the 

Association.n 

Brian P Sweeney 


Off the Run is the Strathclyde Fire & Rescue Retired Employees 

Association members magazine and is distributed free to all members 

EDITOR: Joe Harkins 

SFR Retired Employees Association 

Renfrewshire Safety Centre 

Paisley Fire Station, Canal St, Paisley PA1 2HQ 

Tel: 0141 849 7130 Fax: 0141 849 6147 

email: joe.harkins@strathclydefire.org 

ASSISTANT EDITOR: Alan Forbes 

Tel: 01698 338207 Mob: 07795 090 490 

email:alan.forbes@strathclydefire.org 

DESIGNER: Joe Tinney, SFR Graphics Section 

Chairman’s 

Update 

DEAR FRIENDS AND collEAguES, 

A lot has happened since our new 

Association was launched only six 

months ago when the first issue of Off 

the Run came out. Our email database 

and our membership continues to grow 

and I know from your feedback, your 

phone calls and your letters that you 

all consider it very worthwhile and you 

do appreciate it. Through this emailing 

system retired colleagues are now being 

kept informed of forthcoming retirals 

and are able to go along to old friends’ BNO’s and meet up with 

their old Watch members and enjoy various social evenings and 

sporting events. 

The email system comes into its own when we receive 

the funeral notifications, which unfortunately are part of life, 

but it means we can instantly notify all our retired members of 

the forthcoming funeral arrangements. As we usually only get 

notification a day or two at the most before the funeral, this is not 

something we can extend to our members who are not on email. 

Therefore, if you now have an email address or have changed 

email addresses please let me know so you can be kept updated 

instantly. We know that this service is much appreciated by the 

family of our deceased colleagues so the more of our members 

who know the better for us all. Our monthly newsletter lets our 

non-email members know of any forthcoming retirals or sports 

events etc. 

The SFRXtra website has been launched and has been 

really well received by all. This is a totally new addition to our 

SFR Conditions of Service and has been specifically designed 

to include all our members of the REA. There have been wellkept 

local discount secrets for years but they were only known to 

the select few. SFRXtra opens all the discounts to ALL serving 

and retired employees and shortly a hard copy will be sent to 

your home for you to keep and use at your leisure. We will be 

continuously accessing more and better discounts so if you know 

of anywhere in your locale who offer SFR a discount please let 

us know. 

Membership cards have proven to be extremely popular 

so if you still do not have yours please send a passport photo and 

your details and we’ll get one made up and sent out to you. 

The Sports Sections have been set up in conjunction with 

the Sports & Athletics Association. All retired members continue 

to be members of the SAA so please feel free to join any of the 

current Sections. A new Hillwalking and Badminton Section are 

being set up and a new Motorbike Section has already had its 

Inaugural Run. 

Frequent monthly or bi-monthly tours will be established 

and any member wishing to help me get these off the ground 

will be most welcome. Our own website is currently under 

construction and will hopefully be interactive soon, with a 

discussion forum and a passworded members’ page to keep us all 

in contact. 

There are more ideas in the pipeline but already, within 

six months of our launch, we are offering more to our friends 

and colleagues than any other Fire Service in Britain, perhaps 

anywhere. It is your Association so please feel free to offer any 

suggestions or ideas to make OUR Association even better. n 

Joe Harkins, Chairman, SFR Retired Employees Association

12 

18 

14 

08 

off therunISSUE NUMBER 2/SPRING 2007 

inside: 

7. on the night watch 

charity oil painting for sale 

8. water rescue equipment 

how sfr is responding to the challenge 

12. new york’s ground zero 

a haunting visit to the scene of 9/11 

14. le club dune 

sun, sand and desert firefighting 

17. st.andrew’s night and burns supper 

all the news and photos 

18. the best laid schemes 

jess the alerter 

19. flashing blades 

ronnie the rocket 

20. will services 

special offer to all members 

22. rank to role 

how things have changed over the years 

23. cheapside street memorial 

photos and news from the annual event 

PLUS THE REGULARS 

4. UP FRONT 

6. YOUR LETTERS & FEEDBACK 

21. CROSSWORD 

24. HEALTH ISSUES 

25. RETIRALS 

26. SFR INFORMATION 

Nr 2 n SPRING 2007

Up 

Front 


BILL IS BEN FUND LOTTERY WINNER 

Bill Sutherland, a retired firefighter from 

Cumbernauld, has won the top prize of £21,871 

in the Ben Fund Lottery. 

Bill came into SFR Headquarters in Hamilton with his 

daughters and grandson to receive the cheque from 

Fire Board Convener Councillor Joe Lowe and Chief 

Officer Brian Sweeney. 

Bill was a firefighter with Strathclyde Fire Brigade for 

over 28 years. He started his career in Glasgow at the 

For your information, 

the photo on the 

front page of the 

magazine shows a 

Rescue pump and an 

Aerial Rescue pump 

sitting outside the 

newly refurbished 

Kelvingrove Art Gallery. 

It was part of a Community Safety Initiative 

which was designed to show that Strathclyde 

Fire & Rescue cover every major risk within our 

boundaries. It was also tied in with Glasgow’s bid 

to host the 2014 Commonwealth Games, which is 

now down to the last two bidders after Halifax in 

Nova Scotia pulled out. Only Glasgow and Abuja in 

Nigeria are left in the race to host the Games. The 

winner will be announced in November. 

SFR are one of the backers for the 

Commonwealth Games Bid and to offer your 

support log in to www.glasgow2014.com where 

you will see who all the famous backers are and be 

able to add your own name. 

old North Fire Station at St George’s Road, followed 

by Ingram Street, Lanark, Motherwell, Coatbridge and 

finally Cumbernauld. 

Commenting on his success, Bill said: “I have played 

the Ben Fund lottery ever since it started, so this shows 

everyone that you can win – lightning can strike!” 

‘‘ 

Bill receives cheque from Margaret Barnes of the FSNBF 

you are warned to 

slow down by your 

doctor instead of a 

policeman. 

UPCOMING EVENTS 

7th ApRIl - Princess Anne formally opens the Water 

Rescue Equipment pontoon at the Glasgow College of 

Nautical Studies at 10.30am. Please come along. 

10th MAy - REA Members trip to Gullane. 10.00 till 

1800 Hours. Contact Joe for further details on 0141 

849 7130 to register interest. 

‘‘Middle age is when

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION! 

The wings of Strathclyde Fire & Rescue Retired 

Employees Association are spreading far and wide 

now. Not only do we have members in Australia, 

Canada, America, Bulgaria, Ireland but aye - even in 

England too. Not only do we also encompass sporting 

activities, social activities and cultural activities, 

history, Information Technology and publishing but 

now we have moved in to the arena of film making, 

daahling…or technical advisors to be more precise. 

We were contacted by email by David Council, 

Director/Producer of a film in the making with a 

working title of 33:66 – a reference to the ages of the 

characters in the film. One strand of the tri-part story is 

about a film actor who is about to portray a decorated 

retired fireman from the 60/70’s. He goes to interview 

the retired fireman to get the background to his medal, 

some insight into his psyche and some understanding 

of what makes him tick. “People’s perception of what 

heroism is” is what the film is centred on. 

David wanted to talk to some of our members, 

partly as research for the actor who was to play the 

fireman and partly to ensure he got his own facts 

correct about procedures and details. As David had 

a time constraint and wanted to meet the members 

within the week I sent an email to all on our database 

asking for volunteers. Amongst those to respond were 

Jim Smith, Peter Ogden, Bill Kent, John Mullan, Ray 

Greening and Jim Flockhart with ex-D.O Jim Dunlop 

contributing by phone. 

We all met in Glasgow and went out to the film 

studio, situated in the old Govan Town Hall where 

David and his cameraman George filmed our 

interviews as he asked questions such as “why did 

you choose to be a fireman?”, “what sort of training 

did you get?”, “ what were the range of jobs you went 

to?”, “were there any jobs when you thought ‘this is 

it’” 

All the questions brought forth a torrent of 

memories ranging from the profound to the downright 

comic and I think our members enjoyed it as much as 

David and George with their learning curve. They sat 

mesmerised as the guys related jobs they had been at 

or procedures in the days before Health and Safety. 

David further explained that our ‘Hero’ had 

saved two kids whom he had previously seen in 

school as a pair of ruffians. He is photographed 

coming out of the fire with the two kids under 

his arms and subsequently gets more publicity 

than he wants. He feels that it is just part of the 

job; he’s rescued a couple of people the week 

before but as there were no photographers about 

it was not publicised or lionised in the media. The 

actor considers him a hero but the fireman has a 

different perception of himself. Somewhere we’ve 

all been, eh? 

David invited all the participants to a dinner 

in Glasgow on the 22nd January to meet the 

actors playing the roles and further questions and 

advice were sought and offered over coffee and 

the occasional wine and spirit. That put paid to 

their budget I’m sure! The director was also put 

in contact with Bob Wright of the Strathclyde 

Fire Brigade Preservation Group who advised 

on uniforms, appliances and equipment and the 

Director thought he had gone to heaven when 

he saw the collection of fire appliances the 

Preservation Group had at their disposal. The 

filming has now finished and is currently being 

edited by the Director in Madrid before being 

opened up to distributors for cinema showing. 

BARRY TAKES PERU CHALLENGE 

Barry Ashcroft, Communications Engineer with 

Strathclyde Fire & Rescue will be taking part in the 

Fire Services National Benevolent Fund Peru Charity 

Challenge from 27th September - 10th October 2007. 

As part of this amazing 12 day challenge, Barry 

will be mountain biking and white water rafting, 

trekking through gorges, camping in the wilderness, 

climbing volcanoes, hiking the Inca trail, and visiting 

the ancient and mysterious ‘lost city’ of Machu Picchu. 

As a participant in this event, Barry will be raising 

vital funds for the fire service’s charity, and would 

really welcome your support. 

Please take a moment to 

sponsor Barry at: 

www.justgiving.com/gobarry 

REA advisors with director and actor 

SFR XTRA 

BENEFITS 

PACKAGE 

Our new Discounts website 

www.sfrxtra.com has been 

launched and has been really 

well received by all. It is divided 

into different colour-coded 

categories for ease of use by 

all. 

There are 12 categories, each 

with their own discounts and 

these are – 

Holidays & Travel; 

Health & Wellbeing; 

Family & Children; 

Cars & Motoring; 

My Finance; 

Home & Garden; 

Sports & Fitness; 

Get Connected; 

Celebrations & Gifts; 

Leisure Time & Days Out; 

Entertainment; 

Fashion & Clothing 

– so there is something for 

everyone there. 

These discounts are available 

for all members and their 

families and are available 

online, by phone or directly 

in the shop, depending on the 

retailer. 

A new hard copy folder is being 

printed and will be sent out 

to all our serving and retired 

employees soon, so we hope 

you enjoy these extra benefits 

of being part of Strathclyde Fire 

& Rescue. 


Your Letters and Feedback 

Here are a selection of your views 

HAVE YOUR SAY 

I felt I should take some time to sit 

down and draft a wee letter of thanks 

and encouragement to Joe Harkins and 

his team for all their endeavours, in 

conjunction with the Brigade, to organise 

the Retired Employees Association and 

produce an excellent magazine. 

It was a very strange feeling retiring 

after such a long period of time and 

involvement with the Brigade, and I know 

from talking to other retired colleagues 

that you definitely miss the banter and 

camaraderie. So the magazine and emails 

are a great way to keep up to date and 

involved. 

I’m sure there are lots of you out 

there with plenty to say/tell, and so I look 

forward to future editions. 

Donald Neil 

(Retired Stn/O, Greenock) 


GET INVOLVED 

Dear Colleagues 

You may or may not know that the Sports 

& Athletics Association and its Sections 

still exist for you after you retire. 

Although you may not feel that you want 

to throw yourself round a Football or 

Rugby field there is surely something 

within the SIXTEEN Sections presently 

on the go that would interest you. 

I know that there are some Bikers’ 

out there who may be interested in the 

newly reformed Motorcycle Section 

- if so please contact John Branney at 

Cumbernauld on 01236 729797. 

I know there is interest in the 

formation of both a Badminton and a 

Walking Section and if anyone out there 

wants info on how to set up such a 

MEET OLD FRIENDS 

Harold Wilson once said “a week is a long 

time in politics”. 30 plus years in the Fire 

Service is therefore many lifetimes. 

I have been fortunate to work with 

many outstanding individuals who taught 

me a lot during my career. We shared 

exceptional experiences such as the 

Braehead fire, Canal Street train collision 

and many other incidents. I started in 

Paisley with great characters like Tam 

Johnstone, Joe Duncan et al but most 

of my service, when I was there, was at 

Blue Watch, Barrhead, again with great 

characters, like Willie Chalmers, Charlie 

Sludden and Brian McGlinchey. 

As with us all, I met and enjoyed the 

company of many guys on detached 

duties. In my latter years I worked at the 

Renfrewshire Safety Centre with Kevin 

Hughes and was there when Joe Harkins 

arrived, tasked with the job of getting the 

Retired Employees Association set up. 

REMEMBER this is YOUR magazine. If you have a question, a 

request for what we should cover in the magazine, or a 

suggestion to help us improve it, please get in touch. 

Send your letters to: SFR Retired Employees Association 

Renfrewshire Safety Centre , Paisley Fire Station, Canal St, 

Paisley PA1 2HQ or email: joe.harkins@strathclydefire.org 

Section call me on 01236 761742. I’ll 

be only too pleased to meet and have a 

natter, hopefully putting your ideas into 

practice. 

There are many events both at home 

and away that I’m sure folk would like 

to get involved in and remember that 

any Section and its respective members 

functioning under the S & A banner are 

still eligible for financial support from 

both the Association and the Lottery 

Club. 

These activities can also be used as 

a point of contact with old mates and 

colleagues - just because you’ve retired 

doesn’t mean that you’re forgotten. I 

hope to hear from some of you soon 

Malcy Ward 

Association Secretary 

Now that I have retired I am enjoying 

the benefits of our new Association which 

I have seen grow from its initial basic idea 

into the multi-faceted Association we now 

enjoy. 

The Association is doing an excellent 

job in maintaining contact not only with 

those of us who have retired, but for 

all of us who will retire from now on. 

This Association allows us to have the 

opportunity of meeting these characters 

we all worked with and enjoying their 

company and friendship all over again. 

Should Auld Acquaintance be forgot? 

Owen Taylor 

‘‘‘‘ 

your zip up, then you 

First you forget names, 

then you forget faces, 

then you forget to pull 

forget to pull your zip 

down. 

LEO ROSENBERG

On the Night Watch 

Chief Officer Sweeney,Angus Paton and Provost Rebecchi display a framed print of “Night Watch” in the old fire station. 

An oil painting by a Greenock firefighter is set to raise 

thousands of pounds for a fire service charity. The 

painting, “Night Watch”, was produced by Angus Paton to 

mark the 30th anniversary in 2005 of the former Strathclyde Fire 

Brigade. 

The first of 1,000 limited edition prints, which will be sold to 

raise £35,000 for the Fire Services National Benevolent Fund, 

was presented to the Provost of Inverclyde, Ciano Rebecchi, 

at an unveiling ceremony in the Municipal 

Buildings in Greenock. 

“Night Watch” shows a Dennis F8 water 

tender being driven through the doors of 

the old Greenock Fire Station to attend 

an incident. In the atmospheric scene, 

the tender’s headlights cut through the 

darkness and fog of a winter’s night. 

To mark the unveiling, the water tender 

featured in the painting, NHS 196, was displayed at the old fire 

station which forms part of the Municipal Buildings. 

NHS 196 was the last appliance to leave the old fire station and 

the first to attend a fire from the new Greenock Fire Station 

which opened in 1960. NHS 196 has since been restored by 

members of Strathclyde Fire Brigade Preservation Group. 

Angus worked for six months 

on the painting and was under 

tremendous pressure to put in 

details that were faithful to 

probably the finest preserved 

fire station in Britain. 

“Night Watch” is Angus Paton’s second oil painting with a fire 

brigade theme. In 2000, Angus, a self-taught artist, produced a 

painting of a horse drawn fire engine, also racing out of the old 

Greenock Fire Station, to mark Strathclyde Fire Brigade’s 25th 

anniversary. That painting hangs in the foyer of Strathclyde Fire & 

Rescue’s headquarters in Hamilton. 

At the ceremony, “Night Watch” was handed over to Brian 

Sweeney, Chief Officer of Strathclyde Fire & Rescue, to hang in a 

place that he deems appropriate. 

Commenting on “Night Watch”, Chief 

Officer Sweeney told the Greenock 

gathering: “This is a tremendous example 

of the good work done by everyone at 

Strathclyde Fire & Rescue. Angus worked 

for six months on the painting and was 

under tremendous pressure to put in 

details that were faithful to probably the 

finest preserved fire station in Britain.” n 

“Night Watch” prints cost £35 each. 

Arrangements to purchase a print can be made by phoning: 

SFR Renfrewshire & Inverclyde Administration Staff 

01294 606800 or 

Group Manager David Adam 

07766 134289. 

Nr 2 n SPRING 2007 7

Some text about this photo 

Nr 2 n Nr 2 SPRING 2007 

n SPRING 2007

WATER 

RESCUE 

It will be a regular feature in our magazine to have articles 

which keep our members up to date with the latest 

developments within Strathclyde Fire & Rescue, whether new 

statutory duties, new operational procedures, newly developed 

Sections of SFR or brand new equipment. 

By JoE hARKINS 

SFR has been working in conjunction 

with other public bodies for some 

time to provide better services to the 

general public of Strathclyde to deliver the 

best, most effective service we can. Due to 

retirement, under Health & Safety laws, of 

the Glasgow Humane Society, one section 

of Strathclyde was left uncovered, from the 

Erskine Bridge to the Nautical College in 

the City Centre. 

As there are more people dying in 

the water than there are dying in fires it 

was quickly realised that Water Rescue 

would have to become a new branch of 

SFR’s ever widening skills base. This was 

instantly embraced and SFR now have a 

disposition of Water Rescue equipment at 

present, as follows: 

Renfrew - 

2 Personal Water Craft, (more commonly 

known as Jet Skis), 1 Zodiac Boat, 

1 Flotation Aid 

Knightswood - 

2 Personal Water Craft, 1 Pioner Rescue 

Boat with drop-down front for easy access 

for rescuing casualties from the water, 

1 Zodiac boat 

Polmadie - 

1 Pioner Rescue Boat with drop-down 

front. This will be situated at the 

Glasgow Nautical College on a swing-arm 

with an electrical winch, with the boat 

sitting on davits. 

1 Zodiac boat. 

As with all things, SFR will be monitoring 

the effectiveness of this disposition to 

ensure that the equipment will be used to 

its full potential, so that we offer the best 

service to all Strathclyde residents. 

pERSoNAl WAtER cRAFt - known to all as jet skis 

oN REcEIpt oF thESE pieces of equipment 

an intensive training programme was 

implemented to bring all station personnel 

up to speed with the equipment and give 

them the myriad of skills needed to allow 

SFR to provide 

The Jet Skis are capable 

of reaching over 60mph 

depending on the conditions 

this valuable and 

essential service to 

all in Strathclyde. 

Once all the 

technical input had 

been given, on site practical training was 

launched with all 4 Watches of each station 

receiving water training on the River 

Clyde. This began with training at Port 

Glasgow on the RIBs - Rigid Inflatable 

Boats - by the RYA Principal Ian Tonner, 

an REA member. This rigid hulled boat 

with an inflatable Sponson - the rubber 

tubing which runs along the top edge of 

the boat’s hull. They 

then went upriver to 

the city water to hone 

their boat management 

skills on the Poiner 

Multi. It has a very 

shallow draft of only 22 centimetres which 

makes it perfect to skim over the water, 

with the added bonus of the drop-down 

front for getting casualties on board with 


the minimum of difficulty. This training 

helped to familiarise the crews not only 

with the new equipment but also with the 

hazards faced whilst on the river, such 

as old railway sleepers, discarded tyres, 

branches of trees, all of which float just 

under the surface of the water, and even a 

baby seal which was spotted up at Yarrows. 

At the same time the Watch personnel were 

soaking in the topography of the bridges, 

slipways and under-pier mazes which exist 

along the Glasgow docksides. 

The Jet Skis are powered by an 1100 

cc Yamaha MC R1 engine which gives 

them an amazing speed on the water. 

They are capable of reaching over 60 mph 

depending on the weather conditions, but 

when you are so low down on the water 

this feels like 120 mph to the operator. 

They are definitely not toys and need to be 

treated with great respect. It is this power, 

lack of training and lack of respect which 

results in so many accidents abroad to 

holidaymakers who hire them for fun. 

They can seat a maximum of three 

people but are more comfortable with 

two on board. They can be launched at 

the Renfrew slip and be at the Nautical 

College within 6/7 minutes. The Jet Skis 

are very manoeuvrable and in the words 

of old Arthur Montford “they can turn on 

a sixpence”. They have now been fitted 

with a Reverse Bucket which greatly helps 

stability. Before the Reverse Buckets were 

fitted the jet skis bobbed about the water 

but can now be controlled much better and 

be stabilised on one point. 

All tRAINED pERSoNNEl have to wear 

the correct Personal Protective Equipment 

which consists of a Drysuit, a protective 

helmet and a Personal Flotation Device 

(Buoyancy Aid) which gives the wearer 

great stability should they need to go 

into the water itself. For extreme winter 

conditions there is also a woollen innersuit 

to be worn under the drysuit, which keeps 

the operator warm in all temperatures of 

water. 

The PFD also comes equipped with 

a knife, carabineer clip and a built-in 

safety line, which will be tied off when 

an aggressive swim is needed to reach 

a casualty. This safety line has a quickrelease 

capability in case the line gets 

snagged and tries to drag the wearer 

underwater. The operators also have to 

wear a Wrist Harness which has a fuel 

cut-off switch to cut the engine should the 

wearer fall off or overboard. The Boats and 

the Jet Skis cannot be started till this cutoff 

switch is reattached. 

While the Boat crews work in threes, 

the operators of the Jet Skis have to work 

10 Nr 2 n SPRING 2007 

in pairs, in sight of each other. All water 

equipment operators have to have their 

visors on their helmets down when on the 

water to keep them safe from water borne 

hazards and the speeds they do when out 

on a rescue. There are lots of nasties on 

the Clyde and all operators have had to be 

inoculated against the likes of Hepatitis B 

& C, Polio, Tetanus etc. 

Ongoing training keeps the skills levels 

up for the personnel and operators practice 

capsize drills, simulated rescues from 

piers or the sides of large boats, search 

and rescue under the network of wooden 

pier supports etc. As Watch Manager John 

Lonergan from White Watch Renfrew 

told me “These Jet Skis are fast, reliable 

and are particularly great for getting into 

nooks and crannies. The Boats and Jet Skis 

give us an especially quick response which 

helps up to be in situ rapidly to render 

whatever services are needed This is of 

crucial importance when we are dealing 

with people in the water and can be the 

difference between rescuing someone and 

recovering a body.” 

thE cREWS have an excellent 

relationship with the on-water personnel 

and all water users are now used to seeing 

SFR Water Rescue Equipment on the 

Clyde, and just like on land they make way 

for our Jet Skis and Poiner Boats as we 

proceed to an incident. Every body is taken 

off the river by the Boats, not the Jet Skis. 

As John Lonergan says “The beauty of 

the Jet Skis means that we can get to the 

location, identify the scenario and stabilise 

the situation till the boat comes to carry 

the casualty to land. An added bonus of the 

Jet Skis is that we can get into inaccessible 

areas which the rigid boats just cannot 

manage, such as under arches, pontoons, 

piers etc. It is much like a motorbike and 

a car on land – they can both do different 

things but both complement each other in 

certain situations.” 

Given the explosion of waterfront 

developments currently under construction 

along the banks of the Clyde, from housing 

to leisure to entertainment, there seems 

more than ever now the need for these 

rapid response machines. 

Hopefully in the future SFR can set 

about decreasing the number of waterrelated 

fatalities in Strathclyde through a 

combination of education, safety measures 

and the best trained and best equipped 

Water Rescue section of any Fire & Rescue 

Service in Britain. n 

Training on the Clyde 

JohN loNERgAN REcEIvED A cAll to 

three men in the water recently and set 

the launch procedure in motion down 

at the Renfrew Ferry. John himself was 

one of the Jet Ski operators that day and 

told me that the young men, under the 

influence of drink or drugs were walking 

along the side of the Clyde when one 

of them fell over the railings. Luckily 

he landed on a two foot wide ledge 

about six feet above the water instead of 

going straight into the Clyde or else the 

scenario could have been a tragedy. 

His two companions went upriver, found 

a scaling ladder and climbed down onto 

the ledge. In their inebriated state they 

made their way gingerly along to their 

compatriot where they discovered he 

had a broken leg amongst other injuries. 

They quickly realised that they were 

trapped now too just as John and his 

colleague arrived on their Jet Skis. 

John appraised the situation, dispatched 

his colleague to get two lifebelts in case 

the inebriated men took a header off 

the ledge then attended to the injured

Rapid response 

man whilst radioing information 

to the oncoming rigid Pioner boat 

from Knightswood. Paramedics were 

transported and strapped the injured 

man into a stretcher where he was 

loaded onto the boat and taken back 

to the waiting Ambulance, before 

returning to take the two companions 

off in the boat. 

What could have been three bodies if 

the men were left on their own in their 

inebriated state, was turned into three 

rescues thanks to the quick attendance 

of John and his colleague on their 

rapid response Jet Skis. 

coMBINED DRIllS 

lIFESAvER. Pioner ready for launching 


GROUND ZERO 

REA member Charlie Sludden pays his respects at new York’s 

Ground Zero and visits the site’s “local” fire house. 343 NYFD 

firefighters lost their lives in the line of duty on that fateful day 

which changed the world 

I 

have been ‘Off the Run’ for over 20 years now and am still 

enjoying my retirement. Even before I retired we visited family 

and close friends every year in America. Each November 

we spend Thanksgiving with my sister-in-law in Kearney, New 

Jersey. We were there in November 2001 and witnessed the 

aftermath of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre. Every 

year since we have visited Ground Zero to pay our respects and 

spend a quiet moment remembering the victims, their families 

and the rescue services who paid the ultimate price. 

I attended the Inaugural Meeting of Strathclyde Fire & Rescue 

Retired Employees Association in September 2006. At this 

meeting Joe Harkins asked me if I would put together an article 

about Ground Zero, one that would be of interest to any REA 

member who may be planning a future visit to New York to visit 

the site of the tragedy. Joe arranged for me to take over a plaque 

bearing the insignia of Strathclyde Fire & Rescue and also copies 

of the first edition of our magazine “Off the Run”. 

oN 1 th NovEMBER my wife and I travelled from Glasgow, 

via London Heathrow, on a British Airways flight to Newark, 

New Jersey. There are other airlines that can offer direct flights 

from Glasgow to Newark that also link directly to New York. As 

we had lots to see and do we booked accommodation just off 

Broadway that was central for sightseeing and visiting places of 

interest, such as Macy’s and Bloomingdales etc. Hotel reception 

can advise you on public transport and tours. We booked a minicoach 

tour lasting just over 5 hours with pre-booked tickets for 

the Empire State Building and a trip on the Staten Island Ferry 

among the highlights. 


Getting to Ground Zero is not difficult. Once in New York 

there is a Path train that takes you right in to the World Trade 

Centre Station. Memories of the first time I visited Ground Zero, 

some 3 months after the attack are still vivid. The Path train 

from New Jersey runs parallel with and very close to the site of 

the World Trade Centre. As it emerges from a tunnel the horrific 

sight that met my eyes will never leave me. Where once stood two 

magnificent towers was empty space. 

As the train nudged its way slowly into the station, passengers 

like myself gazed at what remained standing. Prior to 9/11 this 

had been a busy commuter train, with people travelling to and 

from work, with all the noises one expects to hear on a train. 

When we got off the train I remember remarking to my wife that 

there was an uneasy stillness among the commuters. The silence 

was deafening. My wife remarked that neither of us two spoke 

a word on the journey. As we ascended the flight of stairs the 

sound of heavy machinery could be heard, moving large pieces of 

masonry, concrete and earth. 

AS I EMERgED FRoM thE StAtIoN what met my eyes was a 

huge crater. Embedded in the crater were pieces of the buildings, 

the empty window frames eerily peered at us as we stood gazing 

at them. I remember thinking of the countless people who looked 

through these windows, looking down on the streets of New York. 

We saw a crowd of people staring up at Ground Zero. A large 

steel girder was left standing, in the shape of a cross, reaching 

upwards towards the sky. Draped across the girder was molten 

metal, shaped just like you see on a Crucifix. 

When we arrived at the Fire House closest to the World 

Trade Centre we were met by a Lieutenant Myers. I introduced

Tim Garrett, Charlie, Rich Kane and Kevin Seaman in the 

appliance bay of the firehouse 

S**tShovEllINg. A grand old skill lost? 

myself and showed him my Retired Employees Association card. 

He welcomed me and listened to what I had to say. Unfortunately 

arrangements were already in place for a foreign delegation to 

visit and we were unable to make our presentation that day. The 

next day we were on our way back from lunch when a team of 

firemen were backing their appliance into the Firehouse, the crew 

just returning from a ‘shout’. I approached them, introduced 

myself and once again showed them my Retired Employees 

Association membership card. I explained why I was there and 

introduced my wife. The welcome we received was overwhelming 

when we told them we were from Scotland. 

tAlKINg to FIREFIghtER 

tIM gARREtt, he told me 

that from this Firehouse 

(Battalion 9, Engine 54, 

Ladder 4) 15 Firefighters 

lost their lives that day, 

the highest number from 

any one single Firehouse. 

15 Firefighters lost 

their lives that day, 

the highest number 

from any one single 

Firehouse. 

Firefighters Rich Kane and Kevin Seaman then showed us 

around. There was an axe encased in a glass cabinet, all that was 

recovered from the site belonging to their Firehouse. They told 

us it took over 3 months to find the mangled, twisted wreckage of 

what had been the original Ladder 4. 

On the Firehouse walls there are photographs of all the men who 

lost their lives, their names also being inscribed on the present 

Fire Engine. As a mark of respect and remembrance, their wives 

and families have requested that visitors do not photograph their 

loved ones. Talking with the crew on duty that day one could see 

that 5 years on from 9/11 that the sense of loss was still evident. 

Looking at the faces of these men and seeing the emotion there, 

touched us all. I moved on to make the presentation of the SFR 

plaque and present the first editions of ‘Off the Run’. They then 

presented me with two NYFD badges to be brought back to SFR, 

along with expressions of gratitude to Strathclyde Firefighters. 

The Firehouse nearest to Ground Zero has a bronze 

memorial plaque that extends the full length of the outside wall, 

depicting the firemen who gave their lives that day. Five years 

later, work still goes on behind the billboards at Ground Zero, 

but still the people come; visitors, families, school children and 

teachers; they all come to see and remember. n 

This axe was the sole survivor of this 

firehouse at Ground Zero 


LE CLUb DUNE 

PART ONE: SiNAi - 

ThE JOURNEy bACk OUT 

Our man in Sinai relates the different dangers whilst firefighting 

in the volatile Middle East 

By ED coRDEll 

It’s strange how this world circles around, 

then returns us inexorably to our place 

of departure. Meeting strangers who 

know the people you know and where you 

originated. 

This great river of life often begs the 

question ‘’Why the hell did I leave in the 

first place if it all passes by sometime’’. 

It’s not my intention for these stories to 

become an antidote for insomnia but to 

give you all a brief resumé of life as a 

fire officer far from these shores. I hope 

similar experiences will come to light after 

these articles from many of you abroad 

My FIRSt REAl ExpERIENcE oF thE 

DESERt was in 1969 when on leaving 

the Army four of us decided to set up a 

trucking company taking ‘Needful Things’ 

journeying through Morocco, Libya, Mali, 

Niger and Chad. That ‘voyage’ lasted four 

years and on coming home I settled down 

and joined the Fire Service. 16 years later 

after serving in Hertfordshire and then 

Suffolk I left Strathclyde Fire Brigade 

after an accident and I got married to a 

wonderful lady of Scottish Irish descent. 

Leaving the ‘Dear Green Place’ I went 

South and began truck driving again. Then 

I found a fire officers job in the Sinai 

desert with the Multinational Force and 

Observers (MFO) . From there to Saudi 

Arabia, Jeddah, where we spent 71/2 


happy years working on the Catagory 9 

King Abdul Aziz International Airport and 

Prince Abdullah Air Base. 

Then we left after 9/11 but returned a 

year later, this time to Dammam at King 

Fahad International airport for 6 months 

until finally I left after surviving the Al 

Qaeda attack in Al Khoba. 

Now the world comes full circle, I 

have returned to Libya for the first time in 

nearly 37 years. 

SINAI - This triangular peninsular of 

sand, sea and rock has for millennia been 

the crossroads of migrating waves of 

early Hominids. In more modern times 

the Arabs and Israelis have fought over 

this land bridge for whatever justified 

reasons they may have had. Munitions 

which continue their fight long after the 

combatants and their ideals have turned to 

dust still remain. 

Our minefield maps 

were useless as during the 

rainy season a million tons 

of rock had displaced them 

onto roadways and supply 

routes. A continuing job for 

the EOD trying to protect 

the farmers and Bedouin travellers and a 

nightmare for regular travellers and the 

firefighters who are called to RTAs offroad 

between the Observation Posts. After the 

All they wanted was 

a cricket pitch - and 

they were prepared 

to do anything to 

get it! 

WhItE FIRE ENgINE REFlEctS 

thE SoARINg hEAt 

Six Day War a brave decision was made 

by President Anwar Sadat and President 

Anachin Begin to end the conflict in Sinai 

between the Jews and the Arabs. That 

decision was to ultimately cost Sadat his 

life. The UN were too ‘public’ a force to 

keep the sides apart - they needed a more 

secretive non-publicised organisation of 

interested parties and so ex - President 

Jimmy Carter sanctioned a 16 nation 

MultiNational Force and Observer Corps 

was then formed. This used elements of the 

American, Australian, British, Canadian, 

Colombian, Dutch, French, Fiji, New 

Zealand, Paraguay, Norwegian and Italian 

armed forces. And each force had its own 

HQ, Barracks and watering hole. 

Throughout this troubled, tempestuous 

region we at the base and airfield were 

surrounded by a series of minefields. The 

nearest town, El Arish, was a hotbed of 

extremists exiled from the 

Upper Nile valley and a 

brooding Egyptian Army 

which guarded every bus 

load of tourist travellers and 

MFO soldiers through the 

region. 

Of this illustrious band 

of brothers the only two forces not taking 

anything seriously were the Aussies and 

the Kiwis. All they wanted was a cricket 

pitch - and they were prepared to do

AN EGYPTIAN SOLDIER GUARDS THE AIRFIELD 

WITH HIS MACHINE GUN AT THE READY 

Ed beside the Bell Huey helicopter 

Pilgrims Road to civilization 

anything to get it! 

Entry into the MFO peace keeping 

force was through Ben Gurion airport 

in Tel Aviv. The entry stamp was on a 

separate piece of paper as, indelibly 

entered in a passport, it will deny you 

free access through virtually every major 

Arab/Muslim country on Earth as Israels’ 

existence is still denied. To the ordinary 

Jew and Arab it’s all an unnecessary chore 

as all they want to do is trade with each 

other. 

Near the Well of Moses several tunnels 

guarded by the Beduoin exist that have 

been sought by the authorities of both sides 

for years. These caverns had been part of 

the ancient migration routes and secret 

storage areas of the ‘horizon dwellers’ 

and had come into use more so since the 

arbitrary line of the border had come to 

be drawn by some indifferent bureaucrat. 

The Nefud was divided between Egypt and 

Israel and effectively severed all traditional 

Bedu migration. They as a people were 

now trapped in the Triangular warzone. 

I went there with an open mind about 

Israel. After fourteen hours in a dingy 

hotel, fortified by no supper and a grotty 

breakfast served by a morose waiter, and 

a dash down past the Gaza Strip to the 

Raffa Gate then, after endless questions, 

escape into the tranquillity of the Sinai 

desert, only then did I begin to feel a wee 

bit out of the firing line. After 

Raffa and the interrogation 

by the IDF border guards, the 

more relaxed Egyptian Army 

guards were a blessing, then 

it’s as if you are dropped by 

a time machine back into Biblical times. 

But despite the outward signs of a basic 

agrarian culture the huge roadsigns every 

few miles remind you there remain active 

the remnants of modern wars still hidden 

and still very very deadly. 

DANgER oF DEAth. lANDMINES. 

uNDER No cIRcuMStANcES lEAvE thE 

RoAD. Picnics were out of the question. 

It was in this atmosphere of controlled 

anarchy I arrived at the remains of a huge 

blown-up former Egyptian then Isreali now 

Egyptian airbase 40 kilos out in the desert. 

Regained by Egyptian Army, renamed 

again El Gorah. this was MFO North 

Camp on the edge of the Nefud Desert. 

Home Sweet Hut. 

To the old force members it was 

boredom in extremis but I, for the first 

week, found it rather exciting and surreal 

wandering around the lines of Finnish 

Hootchs and demountable barracks, 

bunkers, stores and workshops then out 

along the border fence, investigating 

the Force Exchange shop, the Cinema 

and Dining Facility getting to know my 

“Station Ground’’. Coming from the order 

and modernity of Strathclyde I was now 

operating from a tin shack in the desert 

helping protect an airfield with a clapped 

out Renault Airfield Crash Tender, a Chevy 

Pumper driven by a crazy Egyptian while 

you hung off the back with one arm, 

getting dressed, and two Scat trucks. 

Supported by layers of undercoat and 

white paintwork, these ‘fire engines’ 

dared you to make them move, or even 

start some mornings without a carb’r full 

of Damp Start, and hope to arrive in one 

piece still running to provide a fair chance 

of boosting the fire mains’ pressure. I 

sometimes wished “Come back Springburn 

all is forgiven’’. It was fun, but no more the 

cold rainy streets of Maryhill in December 

or the rattle up the hill to Bishopriggs - 

now I could have my own sweaty cupboard 

with a cranky Aircon and a pet gecko in 

my pocket, so wherever I landed at night 

he might eat the mossies and flies that 

would infest my face and my space. 

I sat outside the ‘Station’ in the cool 

➤ evening air after a blistering hot day 

on the white painted stones laid in neat 

orderly rows by the ‘Chief Fire Officer’ 


CHALET SAMAH 

Sephton P. MacQuire (ex Dumbarton) 

watching a huge road roller trundle up the 

track towards the backlot followed by a 

pickup truck full of squaddies with spades 

followed by a ‘greywater’ tanker. One of 

the other Watch Officers said it was the 

Kiwis going out to try and roll their bit 

of desert flat for the start of the cricket 

season. 

Interesting I thought as I repaired to the 

bar - how do you roll sand flat??. 

It WAS coMINg up to RotAtIoN tIME 

AgAIN and these fearsome soldiers wanted 

to get off home. Each year they migrated 

from Vanuatu to the Lebanon keeping the 

Peace between the Shiites and the Israelis 

then they would come down to us in the 

Sinai and man the 13 Northern OP posts 

to Ain El Musa ( Well of Moses) with 

the Colombian ‘hardnuts’ manning the 

13 Southern sector down to Tarba along 

the Israeli western border. Perched on 

the hills and deep in wadis they patrolled 

the 200 mile fence from Raffa on the 

Mediterranean coast to Taba down on the 

Red Sea and when they got drunk driving 

their trucks off into the desert it was all 

hells job getting them back. But each year 

on rotation they hit it just right. 

The Fijians left just as the new 

contingent of Yanks arrived. As the 

Yanks were green behind the ears the 

Force Exchange (The Big Shop ran by 

Egyptians for their pleasure and financial 

enjoyment) raised its prices, then dropped 

them back to the original price as a SALE 

day was proclaimed. One thing new Yanks 

clammered for was new bikes. In cahoots 

with the Fijians the Egyptians weren’t 

stupid, they sold them all bikes but claimed 

locks and chains had sold out. The Fijians, 

living in the only two floor high rise 

barracks on the camp, waited until night 

descended and went on the run for their 

new acquistions. They borrowed the bikes, 

stripped them down and loaded them into 


empty blue foam drums we gave them 

ready for trans-shipping their effects home. 

The Americans looked everywhere for 

their bikes but couldn’t understand why so 

many could vanish into thin air or leave the 

camp undetected. They never did look on 

the roofs of the high rise blocks and as it 

was the Aussies who flew the rotary wing 

section, they kept their mouths shut, the 

Yanks were only the helicopter mechanics 

so they never left the ground. 

On the weeks running up to the Fijian 

‘rotation’ all hell would regularly break 

loose in the Burra, their palm thatched 

meeting house. The incomers from 

Lebanon had bought fresh kasava from the 

troops coming directly from Vanuatu. Then 

the brewing of a particularly ugly form of 

highly toxic alcholic mud would progress 

in haste and wild abandon. 

It was afterwards the trouble usually 

started when the troops who had found 

their way out of the OPs into North Camp 

by any excuse then tried to return driving 

at night on unlit, unmarked desert roads, 

trying to keep the pickup’s wheels locked 

into the tramlines along the miles of rutted 

path. The call usually came late morning 

from some Uraguyan road repair team 

when the miscreants had woken up to find 

their heads were bursting as the kasava 

drained from their system and the truck 

was a hundred yards off the trail and they’d 

then fired off a flare. Sometimes upside 

down but usually on at least three of its 

four wheels they all had orders not to leave 

the vehicle whatever the reason. 

thE DRIll WAS to lAuNch thE 

hElIcoptER with the carefully weighed 

‘RTA Box’ of necessaries and two firemen, 

an EOD officer and the loadmaster who 

would all then fly down to the crash site. 

On arrival the Bell Huey would hover 

using its downdraft to blow loose sand 

back to hopefully reveal any landmines 

that may be around the vehicle. Usually 

this wasn’t necessary when you could 

follow the continuity of the tyre tracks 

from the black top or the main supply 

road hardtrack, as access then would be 

relatively safe, but where they’d left the 

ground or where the desert surface was 

so hard and rocky with basalt shards little 

indentation had been made, the hover 

method of EOD mine clearance then 

began. 

This was the dangerous bit, the 

Huey pilot would drop all unnecessary 

passengers, including the co-pilot, off 

on the hard standing then with only he 

and the EOD officer on board he’d bring 

his aircraft down to a few feet above the 

ground and the soldier, secured by safety 

line, would lie balanced on the chopper’s 

skids and probe the ground at an acute 

angle with a rod in the sand near the truck. 

Clearing the area he would stand down 

off the skid. The chopper would sideslip 

and hover away from any blast if the EOD 

made a mistake. The prober would work 

his way slowly in ever increasing circles to 

clear a landing zone and only then could 

he begin to make a secure track to the 

RTA. All this before we could get to the 

men on board the vehicle and administer 

first aid or even begin to cut them free. 

It was even considered dangerous to 

land men and the RTA Box directly on 

the truck itself as the vehicle may have 

come to rest on a Tank Mine. These have 

a higher tension spring mechanism on the 

detonator, which takes more weight to 

activate so a light truck wouldn’t trigger it 

but a couple of firemen - full of breakfast 

- and a heavy box landing on the back of a 

GMC pickup may just tip the scales. 

Such are the Health and Safety issues in 

this part of the country. n 

Part two of this article will appear in 

Issue 3.

Burns Supper & 

St. Andrew’s Night 

Dinner Dance 

BY JOE HARKINS 

On the birthday of the Bard on 

Thursday 25th January 2007 

Strathclyde Fire & Rescue held 

their annual Burns Supper at SFR HQ, 

Hamilton, in the Goodwillie Room. 

Over 150 people arrived for the Supper, 

including quite a few REA members. The 

dress code was formal with lounge suits 

or national dress for the gents and evening 

wear for the ladies, who were there in 

greater numbers than before showing 

how popular the event is becoming for all 

employees. 

With ‘bring your own drinks’ being the 

order of the day everyone was assured 

of their favourite tipple. The guests 

arrived early, 6.30 for 7.00, resplendent in 

suits, kilts, trews, plaid and heather, and 

many a blether was started on meeting 

old friends. The evening began sharp at 

7.00 with the Haggis being piped in by a 

member of SFR Pipe Band and expertly 

addressed by Paul Austin, one of the 

evening’s main organisers. The Selkirk 

Grace was given by Paul Connelly and the 

Company then sat down to enjoy their 

Bill o’ Fayre - Cock a Leekie soup with 

Soda Bread, Fillet of Smoked Haddock 

wrapped in Ayrshire bacon and served 

with watercress and cream sauce, Haggis, 

Neeps and Champit Tatties, Drambuie 

Mousse with a finger of shortbread, and 

finished off with Bannocks, Cheese and 

Coffee. Complimentary bottles of wine 

and miniatures of whisky set the tables 

off as the waitresses served and cleared 

the courses, with ample breaks for the 

“puffing billies” and of course the “puffing 

hizzies” throughout the evening.. 

The Company was welcomed by Andy 

Shuttleworth, the Chairman for the 

evening before the entertainment began 

with “The Trio”, who opened up with 

a medley of Burns songs. The Immortal 

Memory was given this year by Paraig 

McKay, along with his trusty fiddle - a 

different slant on the main speech than 

is normally given! Our second Speaker 

was Lewis Ramsay who gave a witty and 

erudite “Toast to the Lasses” which was 

ably replied to by Kay Pitt - a hard enough 

task but Kay did it in rhyme - which was 

poetic, rhythmic and funny as well! 

Readings were given by Paul Austin 

who gave a marvellous rendition of 

“The Ronalds of the Bennals” and Paul’s 

expertise was matched by Willie Hunter 

who gave an excellent interpretation 

and performance of that Burns favourite 

“Tam o’Shanter”. All these performances 

were interspersed throughout by The 

Trio, three professional singers, who sang 

the songs of Burns beautifully and got the 

Company involved in them too. 

As the evening drew to a close the “Toast 

to the Artistes” was given by REA member 

Brendan McCaffrey who complimented 

(and slagged) each performer in turn. All 

that was left was to end the evening in 

traditional style with that international 

song of friendship “Auld Lang Syne”, which 

was sung with gusto. 

As Burns himself said 

“... and each took off his several way 

resolv’d to meet some ither day.” 

At . 0 pM oN thE th NovEMBER 00 

Strathclyde Fire & Rescue held its annual 

St Andrew’s Night Dinner Dance and a 

roaring success it turned out to be. It was 

organised by Human Resources Manager 

Barbara Docherty who chose the Old 

Fruitmarket in Candleriggs as the venue 

for this year’s event, and what an inspired 

choice it was. 

With a grand bifurcated staircase as 

soon as you come in the door of the Old 

Fruitmarket the ambience of the place 

ensured everyone was in fine form for the 

evening’s proceedings. Barbara herself, 

resplendent in a flowing burgundy evening 

dress, greeted the guests as they arrived. 

The guests were directed upstairs to the 

top bar area where a complimentary glass 

of champagne was served then proceeded 

to the viewing gallery where they chatted 

and viewed the seating plan. With the 

main hall decked out in St Andrews flags 

and bunting there was a party atmosphere 

as soon as you walked in. The main hall 

downstairs looked like something out of 

a Busby Berkeley musical with the tables 

set to the highest standard, bedecked 

with wine and candles etc. and spotlights 

picking out the dance floor and the dining 

tables. Bars were dotted about the hall 

but waitress service ensured no-one went 

without a drop of the cratur or whatever 

beverage was chosen. 

At 7.00 pm over 350 people sat down to 

dine with the evening’s proceedings all in 

aid of charity. There were representatives 

from all of Strathclyde’s local authorities, 

each of whom paid for a table for their 

employees attending. The FSNBF Chief 

Executive Roy Lawrenson and Keith 

MacGillivray, Chair of the Trustees, had a 

table for Ben Fund workers where your’s 

truly was sitting. Barbara managed to get 

Corporate Sponsorship from Cebotech, 

John Dennis, Draeger and Scania to defray 

expenses and the tickets for SFR retired 

and serving employees was discounted at 

£45. A welcome to all was given by Chief 

Officer Brian Sweeney then a magnificent 

five-course meal was served. 

After the meal envelopes were sent round 

to every table for the guests to put their 

name on and insert some money - crinkly 

stuff only, no coins - and these were then 

used as raffle tickets, ensuring that each 

winner could only win once and the spread 

of prizes was evenly distributed. The John 

Carmichael Ceilidh band then opened 

up the evening’s proceedings and got the 

guests up to dance with some eightsome 

reels, jigs and strathspeys. The raffle was 

drawn after the Ceilidh finished. 

Throughout the evening an Auction was 

taking place with prizes such as - a kilt 

in SFR tartan, 4 ball at Turnberry, signed 

Rangers top, weekend at Cameron House, 

a Spa retreat, firefighter for a day ( for 

civilians - no comments please about some 

SFR personnel needing it), a day with 

Strathclyde Police ( no comments please 

about some people being used to that), 

Gallet helmet ice bucket, special edition 

J&B whisky - amongst the more sought 

after items. A large screen kept all up to 

date with the bidding for each of these 

items and the totals kept rising as bidders 

went to the auctioneers table to put their 

bid down on their potential choice. 

Once the raffle was over the well-known 

local band Big Vern ‘n’ the Shootahs took 

the stage for a rock’n’roll set which again 

ensured that bums were off seats and 

shaking on the dance floor. Big Vern took 

the night to its close at 1.00 am and as the 

debris settled the grand total achieved 

thanks to Barbara and her team of helpers 

reached £17.000 - a fantastic sum indeed. 

The money was divided between the Ben 

Fund and Strathclyde’s Family Support 

Trust, and each of the ten new Areas of 

SFR were given money to be distributed to 

local charities, so that all Areas who had a 

hand in the raffle prizes and contributed to 

the evening were rewarded. A great night 

of enjoyment was had by all and a great 

sum raised for charity. Such was Barbara’s 

success that she has been tasked with 

doing it all over again for 2007! 


ThE bEST LAiD 

SChEMES O’ 

DOGS AND MEN 

What’s the story in Tobermory? 

... a collie that barks at call-outs! 

By BERNIE EDWARDS 

As a Retained Firefighter for the past 

30 odd years based at Tobermory 

on the beautiful Isle of Mull, I was 

often called out on fire calls at all times of 

the day or night, weekdays or weekends, 

summer or winter 

As all Retained Firefighters know, 

certain fire calls occur at the most 

inopportune times, usually when you are 

just about to sit down to your favourite 

meal or the guests have just arrived for the 

evening dinner. Many a meal, prepared by 

my long-suffering wife Sandra, has been 

spoiled by her not knowing that I was away 

on a fire call during the day or had left the 

house in a rush in the early evening. 

ABout yEARS Ago our Border collie Jess 

came into our lives as an 8 week old puppy 

and we decided it would be a stroke of 

genius if we trained her to bark when she 

heard the fire engine going to a turnout. 

This would let my wife Sandra know that I 

may be away for some time and she could 

then delay the meal till I came back. Jess 

took to the training very well and it proved 

to be a good idea, as many a dinner was 

saved from ruination by this canine early 

warning system. 

However, since I retired and joined 

the ranks of the Retired Employees 

Association we have hit a bit of a snag. We 

have been unable to UN-train Jess and she 

still barks when she hears a fire engine go 


by. Not only that, but she is not discerning 

enough to differentiate between fire, police 

and ambulance so it is thrice worse! 

And even then, she can’t tell the 

difference between a real siren and one 

from the TV – so watching Casualty, the 

Bernie and Sandra Edwards enjoy 

a quiet moment with Jess 

Bill, Police, Camera, Action all end up 

with the same result. 

What was at the time a great idea has come 

back to bite us in the derriere! I’m barking 

mad now….but she’s worth it all. n

FLAShiNG 

bLADES 

One members fast and 

exhausting hobby on the ice 

rinks of Scotland 

By RoNNIE MccoRKINDAlE 

You can’t teach an old dog new tricks - so they say, but I 

think I may be able to refute that old adage. At 47 I was no 

puppy when I decided to take up the sport of Ice Hockey. 

I actually started skating when I was 11 years old, at the old 

Crossmyloof Ice Rink, which in its latter days was saved no less 

than twice by Strathclyde firefighters but ultimately burned to the 

ground and is now a supermarket. It was 1955 when, at 7.30 am 

on a Saturday I used to trundle through the door of the old rink 

with about two hundred other bleary-eyed kids to hurtle round the 

‘big ice’ for the next three hours. I absolutely loved it! 

One associated memory that stayed with 

me was watching the Glasgow Mohawks 

Ice Hockey team conducting their training 

sessions. I used to stand open-mouthed as 

these giants of men, as I saw them, flashed 

up and down the ice demonstrating the 

myriad skills that hockey players require 

to execute the fastest, most exciting game 

in the world. I was sold ! It was some 

30 years before I got close to ice hockey 

again. My 17 year old son Simon took up the sport and got a 

team place in the Hamilton Hawks. 

Game On! 

Initially my tasks were simple, 

but my true ambition was 

realised when the coach said to 

one of the players “Give Ronnie 

a stick and show him how to 

use it!” 

outtA My WAy! Ronnie at full tilt. 

My wife Hannah and I were regular supporters of the team, 

travelling with them to many an away game. It was at one of 

these games that I saw Simon’s coach, Gordon Manuel, whisper 

something in his ear before the match against the Livingston 

Mustangs. Simon then skated over and said to me “Dad, 

Gordon said you’ve sat watching long enough. It’s time you did 

something constructive. You’ve to get your butt over here and 

open the gate!” 

To let the reader understand, ice hockey is such a fast and 

furious game that even the fittest of players can only last on the 

ice for a period of a minute to a minute 

and a half. Therefore a team is made up of 

a maximum of four lines. Each line has five 

players in it and these lines are regularly 

changing while the game is in full flow. 

The gateman has to make sure the gate 

is opened and closed swiftly to allow the 

players on and off the ice at speed. 

I was really anxious tackling such an 

important task – if you don’t get the timing 

right then excited players, trying to get off the ice are screaming 

at you “The gate! The gate!” and the ones trying to get on 

impatiently vault over the barrier, presenting you with a pair of 

super sharp blades flashing past your ear. 

thAt WAS My uNExpEctED INItIAtIoN into ice hockey at 

the grand old age of 46 and I did well enough to be integrated 

into the Hamilton Hawks as an Off-Ice Official. Being part of 

it all gave me a new lease of life and I got extra pleasure in 

participating in the same sport as my son. Initially my tasks were 

simple, but my true ambition was realised when the coach said 

to one of the players “give Ronnie a stick and show him how to 

use it!” Billy Tate was tasked with showing me the basic skills 

in ‘stick handling’. By this time I was 47. However, being in 

the Fire Brigade I had always tried to keep myself fit and I was 

determined to give it my best shot. I got hold of some second 

hand body armour and an old helmet and I started training with 

the team on a Saturday night. I regularly took part in the hundreds 

of drills that are designed to home your skills, speed up your ➤ 


eactions and focus your mind and body in 

the ways of the game. 

Eventually the coach said to me 

“okay, you’ll be on the bench for the home 

game against the Stirling Wolves next 

Saturday”. I had never really anticipated 

I would be playing in an actual game and 

at first I was pleasantly excited. However, 

by the time the match arrived pleasant 

excitement had turned into gut-wrenching 

anxiety. It was well into the third period 

when the shout came “Right Ronnie, 

yer on!” I shot off the bench, jumped 

the barrier and nearly took the ear off 

the gateman, and from that moment on 

everything was a blur. I’m quite sure some 

of the opposition players were chuffed to 

get a nicely executed pass from me that 

should have gone to my own players. 

All too soon I was completely out 

of breath and heading for the bench 

screaming “the gate, the gate!” just as 

the guys had been on that first occasion 

when I had been recruited as the gateman. 

Collapsing on the bench I’m sure I heard 

the coach saying “for f***’s sake Ronnie, 

whose side were you on out there?” 

IN thE MoNthS AND yEARS thAt 

FolloWED my playing skills improved 

to the point that I could contribute 

confidently to any game that I was playing 

in. In addition, the administrative abilities 

that I had gleaned as an Officer in the 

Brigade were noticed and I was voted in as 

the Secretary of the Hamilton Hawks, then 

ultimately the Chairman of the club and 

manager of the team. 

I saw written on a T-shirt “Ice hockey 

is not just a game – it’s a way of life” .It 

certainly is for me. I am now 62 and still 

playing – but I’m now Chairman/Manager 

of the Paisley Panthers who play out of the 

new Braehead Arena. 

Quite often my current team locks 

horns with the Hamilton Hawks where 

Simon, my son, still plays. When my wife 

Hannah comes to watch these matches 

she has no conflict of loyalty whatsoever 

– her total support goes to Simon and 

the Hawks! She was recently amused to 

see Simon and I battle for the puck in the 

corner of the rink. When the puck was 

eventually passed out Simon gave me a 

somewhat undignified pat on the helmet as 

he skated off – he being six feet four and 

me being considerably smaller! 

Hannah periodically asks me if it’s 

not about time I hung up my skates and 

left the broken jaws, bust teeth and black 

eyes behind? My usual response is “just 

one more season….just one more season” 

I’ve been saying that since I left the Fire 

Brigade and that was 10years ago. As the 

T-shirt says “It’s a way of life!” n 


McClure Solicitors 

Will Service Offer 

Strathclyde Fire & Rescue, in conjunction with the Retired Employees Association, 

has now started a benefits scheme for all serving and retired employees. 

A range of benefits and discounts from local and national firms and businesses 

has been put together, complete with an interactive website www.sfrxtra.com and a 

Benefits folder has been produced and sent to all members of SFR and REA. 

A Greenock firm of solicitors is the first in Strathclyde to offer its services under a 

scheme that encourages serving and retired employees to make a Will. McClure 

Solicitors of Nicolson Street in Greenock, who also have an office in St Vincent Street, 

Glasgow can arrange Wills for SFR serving and retired employees, who will donate a 

sum of money to charity in return for the service. 

David Leslie, a manager at McClure’s, said “We are delighted to be able to work with 

Strathclyde Fire and Rescue to provide legal services for its current and retired staff, and 

to raise money for its nominated charities at the same time”. 

Joe Harkins said “I’ve had a change of personal circumstances recently and I felt it 

was time to have my Will revised, so I’m the first firefighter to take advantage of the 

generous and charitable offer by McClure Solicitors. 

Employees are free to nominate their own charity or contribute towards McClure’s 

chosen charity of Ardgowan Hospice in Greenock. This service ensures that all 

employees who take the offer up will have their affairs in order for their families when 

their chosen day arrives, as well as contributing to a worthy cause by donating to 

charity, as opposed to paying a lawyer’s fee. 

McClure’s also offer discounts on their house conveyancing fees and other legal services 

as shown in the Discounts folder on the sfrxtra website. Should you or a family member 

wish to take up the offer please contact: 

McClure Solicitors 01475 888222 or their Glasgow office 0141 221 0045. 

SFR plan to hold local roadshows in the Area Headquarrters with some of our discount 

providers. The first roadshow is at Brigade HQ on Wednesday 25th April when Stewart 

Travel, McClure Solicitors and Hilton Living Well Leisure will be showing their offers and 

services. Please come along and see what’s on offer. 

David Leslie, Manager at McClure’s Solicitors with Joe Harkins of the REA 

Picture by Kris Cairns courtesy of the Greenock Telegraph 

If any other local business would like to offer a discount to 

the new SFR Benefits Scheme, please contact: 

Joe Harkins, SFR Retired Employees Association 

Telephone 0141 849 7130 

or email: joe.harkins@strathclydefire.org

Crossword 

By JohN MullAN 

Across 

9 Royal Navy has a clue in the east of 

the lake (7) 

10 Get rid of the caravan or divorce (7) 

11 Still proud and not decorated! (7) 

12 Old food produced when vial took cut 

(7) 

13 Troubles seemed so far away then (9) 

15 Flyer well under par (5) 

16 Short stud below a window (7) 

19 Iron again and hold back (7) 

20 Edit text critically (5) 

21 Box I owe you son for being 

objectionable (9) 

25 Staying in a Scottish place (7) 

26 Nail down to a flavour with Val (7) 

28 Psychiatric test from a leaky pen (7) 

29 Turn over - dig Gran and dont be a 

meanie (7) 

Down 

1 Not a good indicator for beer or 

sunbathing (6) 

2 Sub surface self-contained BAs (6) 

3 Ward returned to raffle (4) 

4 Dispensed for cash (6) 

5 One who looks at property for a price 

(8) 

6 A disease for fearties? (10) 

7 Can be physical, mental, political or 

armed but always an effort (8) 

8 They may do it with peas, seafood or 

howitzers (8) 

14 Shoe with ropey sole (10) 

16 Scale Tim! You will make a climber yet 

(8) 

17 Sick epic gave us coller tools (8) 

18 Get on ale and stretch out (8) 

22 On recanting, nave made nine day 

prayer (6) 

23 Col. Ian made things run smoothly (6) 

24 Shy and retiring but made a drink (6) 

27 The end has been for some time 

apparently (4) 

‘‘ 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 

9 10 

11 12 

13 14 15 

13 14 15 

16 17 18 19 

20 21 21 22 23 24 

25 26 27 

28 29 

ANSWERS oN pAgE 

‘‘ 

I will never be an old man – to 

me an old age is 15 years older 

than I am. BERNARD BARUCH 

Growing old is like being increasingly 

penalised for a crime you didn’t commit. 

ANTONY POWELL 

‘‘ 

‘‘ 


The Change from 

Rank to Role 

By gRAEME KIRKWooD 

No doubt many of you may be confused with the new roles in Strathclyde Fire & 

Rescue, which is part of the Modernisation of the British Fire Service. 

This also saw Fire Brigades change their titles to the Fire and Rescue Service although 

two of the Scottish Brigades dropped the word Service as the name would have been 

too long.The name of Firemaster was changed to Chief Officer or in some cases Brigade 

Manager, but it still doesn’t have the ring or air of authority of the original. 

I remember being confused way back in 1975 when I joined the Retained in Greenock, 

where the wholetimers referred to the Station Officer as CO; surely it should be SO, or 

maybe it stands for Commanding Officer? Surely not? no that’s a military phrase, was I 

picking it up wrong? 

I listened carefully and definitely heard CO, so eventually I had to ask “Why do you call 

him CO?” “ It’s short for Company Officer” was the reply, as they used to be called that 

before Station Officer. Explains everything. I still haven’t found out why we call a Sub 

Officer a Sub Officer? 

So here are the changes over the years: 

1948 

Fireman 

Leading Fireman 

Section Leader 

Company Officer 

Senior Company Officer 

Column Officer 

Divisional Officer 

Assistant FFC 

Fire Force Commander 

New rank markings are only worn on the shirt collar. Undress uniform is now called 

station wear and consists of Cargo trousers, T Shirt, open necked shirt, and bomber 

jacket all in black. Caps are no longer worn. 


23/12/1954 - 1994 

Fireman/Firefighter 

Leading Fireman/ L. Firefighter 

Sub Officer 

Station Officer 

ADO 

ADO (non-flexi) 

ADO/DOIII 

Divisional Officer II 

Divisional Officer I & II 

Senior Divisional Officer 

Assistant Firemaster 

Deputy Firemaster 

Firemaster 

13/01/2006 

Firefighter 

Crew Manager 

Watch Manager A 

Watch Manager B 

Station Manager A/B 

Group Manager A 

Group Manager B 

Area Manager B 

Assistant Chief Officer 

Deputy Chief Officer 

Chief Officer 

OUT WITH THE OLD AND IN WITH THE 

NEW

Cheapside Street 

Memorial Service 

By JoE hARKINS 

At approximately 20.00 hours on Monday 28th March 

1960 the message went back from the Officer in Charge 

of the fire at Cheapside Street, Glasgow that the walls of 

the Arbuckle Smith Bonded Warehouse had collapsed and Fire 

Service personnel were missing. 

We all know now that 14 personnel from the Fire Service and 5 

personnel from the Glasgow Salvage Corps lost their lives in the 

worst peacetime disaster for the Fire Service since the Second 

World War. 

At 11.00 oN thE MoRNINg oF thuRSDAy MARch 007 the 

annual Memorial Service took place at the Cheapside Street 

Memorial in the Necropolis, Glasgow. This service has been 

going on since the first memorial service in 1961 and the service 

is to remember all of our colleagues who paid the ultimate price, 

not just at the Cheapside Street fire but at every fire where a 

colleague gave their life in the line of duty. 

On a dry, overcast morning the crowd gathered was the largest 

seen for many a year at the Memorial Service. This, according 

to Bill Wilson - one of the Aye Ready regulars who has been 

attending the service for many years – is owing to the REA email 

distribution system now in operation. This opinion was ratified 

when I had a chat with John Clarke and his wife Mary. John was 

at Cheapside Street as a young fireman when he went with 

his colleagues from Dumbarton as part of the make up to the 

incident. John told me that he didn’t know this Service took place 

and it was only when he received the REA email that he knew it 

was on. John and his wife Mary actually travelled through from 

their home in Dunbar, East Lothian , by public transport to attend 

the Service. 

Before the Service began quite a few REA members had the 

chance to meet old friends and catch up on old times. The 

Service began proper when the on duty crew from Calton Fire 

Station arrived with their appliance and formed the uniformed 

parade alongside other uniformed staff officers and on duty 

personnel, across from the Memorial. Area Manager John Walker 

welcomed all the guests, family members and attendees to the 

Service and explained the format of the morning’s Service . He 

then passed the Service over to Group Manager John Rae who 

read out the Roll of Honour, brought the parade to attention, 

held the one minute silence then conducted the wreath-laying 

ceremony. 

Wreaths were then laid on behalf of the Chief Officer, the Family 

Support Trust (formerly the Widows & Orphans Fund) the Fire 

Services National Benevolent Fund and the Aye Ready Club. 

Photographers were there from the Glasgow Press and the SFR 

Audio Visual Unit. 

AMoNgSt thoSE Who AttENDED was the grandson of Salvage 

Corpsman William Oliver, who was one of the fallen. Grandson 

David attended and waited till the official wreaths were laid 

and the crowd dispersed before laying a posy of flowers at the 

Memorial. When I went over to talk to him and find out who he 

was he explained about his grandfather and said that he laid the 

flowers this year because his grandmother has recently passed 

away too and this was his way of reuniting them. David then 

slipped away quietly and promised to be back next year with his 

dad. 

After the Service all attending were invited back to Calton Fire 

Station where steaming hot bowls of soup, sandwiches, cakes 

and scones, tea and coffee were served to one and all. Once 

back in Calton the attendees enjoyed their buffet lunch and 

members of our fallen colleagues families mingled with the REA 

members and uniformed personnel. 

At the buffet I met Kathleen Crosbie and asked her to tell me 

her story. She is the sister of Eddie McMillan, one of the fallen 

firemen, and she and two of her grandchildren came along to the 

Service after a chance meeting with Bill Wilson, who told them 

about the ceremony. Kathleen, who is now an octogenarian, 

told me that she thoroughly enjoyed the Service, was really 

pleased with how friendly everyone was to her and the family 

but her day was especially made when she got talking to an old 

colleague of her brother’s. Whilst sitting enjoying her bowl of 

soup she got chatting to the man sitting next to her who told her 

he had worked with her brother Eddie. Ray Ferrari then thrilled 

Kathleen with stories and anecdotes of her long lost brother. 

Talking to her later she told me that she found out things about 

her brother that she never knew and felt so much closer to him 

now. She left Calton with a smile on her face and a vow to come 

back next year to the Service. Out of sorrow can come some joy. 

It is important that this Memorial Service continues each year 

and is seen as a mark of respect to all our fallen colleagues. 

Such is the nature of our job that what happened to the guys at 

Cheapside Street could, by a simple twist of Fate, have happened 

to any one of us at any time during our careers. We who have 

grown older, raised families and lived purposeful lives should 

remember those who did not and whose lives were cut short. 

I would ask all members to think about attending the Memorial 

Service next year and any other year you can manage and can 

assure you that you will be most welcome and will be able to 

meet old friends, pay your respects and enjoy the morning. 


Health Issues 

In each issue of Off the Run, SFR’s Senior 

Occupational Health Nurse Anne Clarke 

looks at health related conditions. 

BLOOD PRESSURE 

WhAt IS BlooD pRESSuRE? It’s 

the term used to describe 

the pressure that the heart 

applies to pump blood around the body. 

According to the National Heart, Lung 

and Blood Institute, blood pressure could 

be described as “a silent time bomb 

waiting to go off” as quite often there 

are no signs and/or symptoms to make 

us aware that our blood pressure may be 

raised above normal limits. 

If a consistent rise in blood pressure 

occurs, the consequence of untreated 

high blood pressure could result in heart 

attacks, strokes, congestive cardiac 

failure, damage to your kidneys, blindness 

and many other conditions. 

The heart has to work hard to maintain 

an adequate blood pressure. This 

ensures that all the cells and vital 

organs within your body receive good, 

oxygenated blood and that the waste 

products are gathered and removed from 

the body. 

WHAT IS “NORMAL” BLOOD 

PRESSURE? 

Less than 130mmHg – systolic 

Less than 85mmHg – diastolic 

WHAT WE SHOULD AIM TO BE 

120mmHg systolic 

80mmHg (or less) diastolic 

BORDERLINE BLOOD PRESSURE 

140mmHg systolic 

90mmHg diastolic 

SO WHAT IS A HIGH BLOOD 

PRESSURE READING? 

(HYPERTENSION) 

Above 160mmHg systolic 

Above 100mmHg diastolic 

High blood pressure can often go 

unnoticed and is commonly only detected 

when you attend your GP for another, 

unrelated medical reason. Some people 

can have a “one off” high reading and this 

shouldn’t be seen as having high blood 

pressure as the body’s own mechanisms 

can fluctuate during the day in response 


to the many internal and external 

demands made upon our bodies. 

HOW DOES IT HAPPEN? 

Think of the heart and blood vessels 

as a central heating system – both 

have a pump and a lot of pipes and 

similar disorders can occur. In a 

heating system, the pipes can become 

furred which means the pump has to 

work harder. When this happens, the 

pressure is increased so that fluid is 

forced through the narrow pipes. If this 

goes on for a long time then something 

will “give” – either the pump will break 

down or the pipes will burst. Having 

prolonged and persistent high blood 

pressure can result in damage to the 

blood vessels and the organs they supply. 

If you are taking medication make sure 

you take it as and when prescribed by 

your GP. 

WHAT CAUSES HIGH BLOOD 

PRESSURE? 

• Being overweight 

• Stress 

• Smoking 

• Too much alcohol 

• Too much salt and /or fat in the body 

• Not enough exercise 

WHAT CAN YOU DO IF YOUR GP 

SAYS YOU HAVE HIGH BLOOD 

PRESSURE? 

You need to make changes to your lifestyle 

if you have been told your blood pressure 

is high. Think back to the comparison 

with the central heating system – have you 

taken out a “3 star plan” to maintain your 

system? Surely it’s worth taking out a 

similar plan for your body? 

TAKE A LOOK AT THIS “6 STAR 

PLAN” AND START PAYING INTO 

IT NOW! 

1 – YOUR WEIGHT 

Aim for a healthy weight – ideally don’t 

gain extra weight in the first place! If 

you need to lose weight then aim for 

a weight loss of one - two pounds per 

week. Don’t follow the rapid weight 

loss diets, as they don’t work! Change 

to a permanent healthy eating pattern 

and you will soon reach your healthy 

weight. Make your target achievable 

and don’t beat yourself up if you have a 

bad day – believe me, it happens to the 

best of us! 

2 – EXERCISE 

30 minutes of exercise 3 – 5 times a 

week is advised. You don’t have to do 

the 30 minutes in one go, so spread this 

out evenly throughout your day if this 

is the only way to achieve it. However, 

it is preferable if you carry out the 30 

minutes in one go and make yourself 

sweat a little! Make sure you enjoy the 

exercise you choose to do or you won’t 

stick to it. Use the stairs instead of the 

lift, park your car at the opposite end 

of the supermarket or shops and walk 

over instead of parking as near as you 

can. Start your regime slowly and build 

up your exercise programme gradually. 

If you have any problems with this, you 

should consult your GP. 

3 – SMOKING 

Stop smoking or cut down – check out 

your local pharmacy or contact your GP 

for assistance with this. It’s a proven 

fact that attending smoking cessation 

clinics proves far more successful in 

stopping smoking than doing it yourself. 

Smoking causes the blood to thicken 

which means your heart has to work 

harder to “push” the blood around your 

system (remember the heating system!) 

4 – YOUR DIET 

Eat more fruit and vegetables and cut 

back on sweets, chocolates, cakes, crisps 

etc. Cut back on your salt intake and 

try not to add salt to your meals. Use 

other spices and herbs in your cooking.

Retirals July - December 2006 

Date Name Rank Station / Command Length of Service 

7th July Murdo Mackay Crew Manager Strategic Planning / HQ 31 years 182 days 

7th July Frank Turner Crew Manager T02 Maryhill / NW Glasgow 30 years 59 days 

4th August Reginald Philp FF Ren. & Inverclyde 31 years 344 days 

5th August David Curran Group Manager B E & W Dun. 31 years 306 days 

14th August Allan Currie Watch Manager Training Centre 31 Years 171 days 

24th August Alan Slavin FF Technical Services 31 years 286 days 

27th August Matilda Stewart FCOp Command and Control 29 years 278 days 

5th September Edward Clements FF S. Lanarkshire 30 years 286 days 

8th September Kevin Ramage Crew Manager S. Lanarkshire 

1st October James Jones Group Manager B Argyll & Bute 31 years 163 days 

16th October Hugh Jardine FF E Ayr. & E Renfrewshire 25 years 348 days 

19th October John Purvis FF S. Lanarkshire 

23rd October Sean Gallanagh Crew Manager N. Lanarkshire 11 years 6 months 

1st November Iain Smith Watch Manager B NW Glasgow 18 years 163 days 

11th November James Wilson McNelis FF Ren. & Inverclyde 30 years 

12th November Douglas Naismith Watch Manager B Fire Investigation / HQ 29 years 235 days 

6th December George Bell Crew Manager NE Glasgow 33 years 48 days 

12th December Donald Neil Watch Manager B Ren. & Inverclyde 25 years 293 days 

12th December Andrew Fairley FF Training Centre 35 years 270 days 

13th December John Ferris Watch Manager B Argyll & Bute 

Check the salt content of ready prepared or tinned foods, as they 

can be high in this area. You should aim to take no more than 

2.6grammes of salt per day. 

Also check out the fat content of ready prepared meals, as they 

can be quite high. Look for foods, which have less than 5% 

fat per 100gramme of food. Remove the fat from meat before 

cooking and remove the skin from chicken before cooking (this 

is where the fat content of chicken tends to be). Grill or roast 

your meats instead of frying and throw out that chip pan or deep 

fat fryer – opt for low fat oven chips instead. Better still – don’t 

have them! 

5 – REDUCE YOUR STRESS LEVELS 

Take time out for “you” each day, even it it’s only for 10 minutes 

– as the advert says, “Because you’re worth it”! Talk to 

someone if you have any worries or problems – the adage of “a 

problem shared is a problem halved” is true! 

6 – WATCH YOUR ALCOHOL INTAKE 

Try to keep to the “average” recommended allowance (21 – 28 

units per week for men and 14 – 21 units per week for women). 

Don’t keep it all for the weekend as your body will have to work 

harder to get rid of the toxins and waste. It’s better to have 1 or 

2 drinks each evening than 10 – 12 in one day. 

WHAT WILL THE BENEFITS OF THIS “6 STAR” PLAN 

MEAN TO YOU? 

You can increase your life span by, in some cases, up to 20 years! 

Surely a few changes to your lifestyle is worth this? Start by 

taking small steps and make small but permanent changes to your 

life and you will reap the benefits long-term. n 

cRoSSWoRD SolutIoN 

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Useful Information 

StRAthclyDE FIRE & REScuE 

hEADQuARtERS 

Bothwell Road 

Hamilton 

ML3 OEA 

Tel: 01698 300999 

ARgyll & ButE hQ 

Castlegreen Street 

Dumbarton 

G82 1EA 

Tel: 01389 733869 

EASt AyRShIRE AND 

EASt RENFREWShIRE hQ 

187 Glaisnock Street 

Cumnock 

KA18 1JX 

Tel: 01290 427610 

EASt & WESt 

DuNBARtoNShIRE hQ 

2 Kilbowie Road 

Hardgate 

Clydebank 

G81 6QT 

Tel: 01389 385999 


NoRth EASt glASgoW hQ 

30 McFarlane Street 

Glasgow 

G4 OTL 

Tel: 0141 552 8222 

NoRth WESt glASgoW hQ 

123 Port Dundas Road 

Glasgow 

G4 OES 

Tel: 0141 302 3333 

NoRth lANARKShIRE hQ 

389 Windmillhill Street 

Motherwell 

ML1 2UG 

Tel: 01698 338100 

RENFREWShIRE & 

INvERclyDE hEADQuARtERS 

4 Barr Street 

Ardrossan 

KA22 8HD 

Tel: 01294 606800 

South lANARKShIRE hQ 

Cleghorn Road 

Lanark 

ML11 7QT 

Tel: 01555 667000 

NoRth & South AyRShIRE 

hQ 

4 Barr Street 

Ardrossan 

KA22 8HD 

Tel: 01294 606800 

South glASgoW hQ 

123 Port Dundas Road 

Cowcaddens 

Glasgow 

G4 OES 

Tel: 0141 302 3333 


coMMAND & coNtRol 

cENtRE 

5 Thornhill 

Johnstone 

PA5 8JH 

Tel: 01505 331661 


tRAININg cENtRE 

Cheapside House 

90 Maitland Street 

Cowcaddens 

Glasgow 

G4 OHX 

Tel: 0141 302 3222

ARGYLL & BUTE 

L01 Helensburgh AB 

L02 Oban AB 

L11 Arrochar AB 

L12 Tobermory AB 

L13 Bowmore AB 

L14 Lochgilphead AB 

L15 Tarbert AB 

L16 Cambeltown AB 

L17 Tighnabruaich AB 

L18 Inveraray AB 

L19 Rothesay AB 

L20 Dunoon AB 

L21 Cove AB 

L22 Garelochhead AB 

L51 Lochgoilhead AB 

L52 Strachur AB 

L53 St. Catherines AB 

L54 Dalmally AB 

L55 Appin AB 

L56 Lismore AB 

L57 Craignure AB 

L58 Salen AB 

L59 Arinagour AB 

L60 Scarinish AB 

L61 Balemartine AB 

L62 Iona AB 

L63 Bunessan AB 

L64 Colonsay AB 

L65 Port Charlotte AB 

L66 Port Ellen AB 

L67 Carradale AB 

L68 Gigha AB 

L69 Craighouse AB 

L70 Luing AB 

L71 Kilmelford AB 

L72 Ardfern AB 

L73 Colintraive AB 

L74 Bridge of Orchy AB 

L75 Minard AB 

L76 Kerrara AB 

L77 Seil AB 

EAST & WEST 

DUNBARTONSHIRE 

M01 Clydebank WD 

M02 Bishopbriggs ED 

M03 Kirkintilloch ED 

M04 Milngavie ED 

M05 Dumbarton WD 

M11 Balloch WD 

NORTH LANARKSHIRE 

N01 Motherwell NL 

N02 Bellshill NL 

N03 Coatbridge NL 

N04 Cumbernauld NL 

N11 Shotts NL 

N12 Stepps NL 

N13 Kilsyth NL 

SOUTH LANARKSHIRE 

P01 Cambuslang SL 

P02 Hamilton SL 

P03 East Kilbride SL 

P04 Lanark SL 

P11 Larkhall SL 

P12 Strathaven SL 

P13 Lesmahagow SL 

P14 Douglas SL 

P15 Abington SL 

P16 Biggar SL 

P17 Carluke SL 

P51 Leadhills SL 

EAST AYRSHIRE & 

EAST RENFREWSHIRE 

Q01 Barrhead ER 

Q02 Clarkston ER 

Q03 Kilmarnock EA 

Q11 Dalmellington EA 

Q12 New Cumnock EA 

Q13 Cumnock EA 

Q14 Muirkirk EA 

Q15 Mauchline EA 

Q16 Newmilns EA 

Q17 Stewarton EA 

NORTH & SOUTH 

AYRSHIRE 

R01 Ayr SA 

R02 Kilwinning NA 

R03 Ardrossan NA 

R04 Dreghorn NA 

R11 Maybole SA 

R12 Girvan SA 

R13 Colmonell SA 

R14 Dalry NA 

R15 Beith NA 

R16 Kilbirnie NA 

R17 Largs NA 

R18 Skelmorlie NA 

R19 Millport NA 

R20 Brodick NA 

R21 Lamlash NA 

R22 Troon SA 

R51 Lochranza NA 

R52 Blackwaterfoot NA 

R53 Corriecravie NA 

RENFREWSHIRE & 

INVERCLYDE 

S01 Johnstone R 

S02 Paisley R 

S03 Renfrew R 

S04 Port Glasgow I 

S05 Greenock I 

S11 Gourock I 

NORTH WEST 

GLASGOW 

T01 Cowcaddens CG 

T02 Maryhill CG 

T03 Knightswood CG 

T04 Yorkhill CG 

NORTH EAST GLASGOW 

U01 Easterhouse CG 

U02 Springburn CG 

U03 Parkhead CG 

U04 Calton CG 

SOUTH GLASGOW 

V01 Govan CG 

V02 Pollok CG 

V03 Castlemilk CG 

V04 Polmadie CG 

KEEP IN TOUCH 

WITH LIFE 

“ON THE RUN” 

Do you want to discover the 

new structure of 

Strathclyde Fire & Rescue, 

remind yourself about where 

all its fire stations are located or 

identify which watch is on when? 

To find the answers, check out 

the information on these two 

pages. 


SFR Xtra 


Great Offers on top name brands for all members of 

Strathclyde Fire & Rescue and SFR Retired Employees Association. 

My Finance Cars & Motoring Celebrations & Gifts Leisure Time & Days Out 

Family & Children Fashion & Clothing Get Connected Health & Wellbeing 

Home & Garden Holidays & Travel Entertainment Sports & Fitness 

Visit www.sfrxtra.com 

for further information

FIREFIGHTING IN THE MIDDLE EAST - Strathclyde Fire & Rescue

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