South Lochs
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Contact details
South Lochs Retained Station Gravir SOUTH LOCHS HS2 9QX Appliance: LIGHT FIRE APPLIANCE Current complement: 10 |
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The history of the South Lochs Fire-fighters starts in their present form on 4 April, 1977.
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Donald was later made up to Sub Officer and an additional Leading Firefighter was
appointed. The team was then made up of ten men including one Sub Officer and one Leading
Firefighter.
The units equipment was based in the Old Nurses Garage in Gravir until the roof blew off in a
gale. Temporarily it was kept in the Sub Officer's own shed, until finally a wooden hut was sent
over from Inverness. This was on the site of the present station.
The early equipment was basic, Alcon pump, associated suction, some hose, nozzles and a stirrup
pump with rose and hose but for some reason no chimney rods.
In the early days the volunteers, sometimes with the help of the Community supplied the vital
pieces of equipment, such as chimney rods and a ladder, and eventually a trailer to carry all the
equipment.
In 1991 Donald Macmillan retired and Kenny Kennedy took over as Sub Officer.
In 1995 the crew adapted the trailer which had been bought from Mr Bonner in Marvig to
actually carry the ladder and additional equipment was 'obtained', all adding to a growing
inventory. We 'acquired' for the first time fire extinguishers, first aid boxes, tow ropes, crow
bars, axes, and a shovel, with a lot of help from fish farms and residents in the district. The
extinguishers were serviced and maintained at the crews own expense.
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In 1997 we moved out of the wooden hut and into the Community Workshop whilst our new station was being built. We also took delivery of R689 OST an LDV Convoy built and fitted out as a Light Fire Appliance (LFA). Suddenly we had mobility and the capability of delivering a hundred gallons of water immediately, along with additional new equipment. |
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From then on the emphasis on training changed as our skills caught up with the equipment. We
also received Breathing Apparatus (BA) Training.
Late in 1998 Kenny Kennedy retired and Alison Alston became Sub Officer with Martyn Imrie as
Leading Firefighter.
The training started at Invergordon for a Basic Firemanship One Week course, which all the unit members attended. Having completed that we carried out much BA familiarisation, with the help of the District Officers and some of the Retained crew from Stornoway. After further training we were finally put 'On the Run' as a fully operational C.A.B.A. unit of the Highland and Islands Fire Brigade on the 7 August 2000.
In 2000 we had an additional Leading Firefighter added to our strength. At this time Martyn Imrie, being close to retirement, stepped down as Leading Firefighter allowing Murdo Morrison to gain experience by taking over as Leading Firefighter.
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Since becoming trained in CABA we have had an increase in our turnouts, with an additional increase in our area of responsibilities. We now cover Pairc and Kinloch, as well as providing cover for Stornoway. The crew have been trained on the 13.5m ladder, as well as on the specialist cutting and spreading equipment carried by Stornoway Retained and Tarbert. This ensures that wherever we are we can crew any appliance in the Western Isles. We routinely train in Road Traffic Accident procedures, and can open up a car pretty effectively with basic equipment. |
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Training has evolved from the early days and now you are getting a professional service from
a highly motivated crew.
Today's Crew
Left to Right- Ff D MacKay, Ff D MacLeod, Ff E Masson, LFf M Morrison
Ff J Campbell, Ff D M MacLennan, Ff A D Smith, Sub O A Alston
Missing from Photo Ff P Makin and Ff D Wilson
The South Lochs Unit also have their own website which can be found at www.southlochs.co.uk .