Kieran Marr, a retained firefighter in the Grampian village of Insch, lives three lives. He works full time for VWS, the security installer, from door access to fibre optics, and is a father of two. And he fights fires. In his day-time job, he is an engineer, specialising in CCTV, fire alarms and fibre optics. He knows about fire alarms and how they work – which can be very important in a commercial or industrial fire. He knows too about first aid and team building, all part of VWS’s growth and development plan, a Scottish firm with operations based in Cumbernauld and Dundee.
He said: “If I am called out to a fire at five in the morning and am due to start work at eight, they don’t mind. They let me start when I can. They are great in that respect. VWS is a great company to work for – it does top of the class security work and it supports me to be a firefighter in a community which desperately needs retained firefighters.”
Graham Wilson, MD of VWS, said: “Kieran is a first class engineer and, by all accounts, also a first class firefighter. As a company we are committed to a policy of corporate social responsibility and Kieran’s personal commitment to his community offers an example of how we, as a company, can support him.”
When he gets in the shower, all of Kieran’s clothes are laid out. When he goes to bed at night, again, all of his clothes are prepared and ready. He carries a pager and when that pager goes off, he has five to eight minutes to get to the fire station. Kieran, 25, has known his fiancée, Rebecca, for ten years. They are planning a wedding soon.
Retained firefighters are more vital than most think. There are three wholetime fire stations in Aberdeen, one in Peterhead and one in Elgin. Some 92 per cent of the Aberdeenshire region is covered by retained firefighters. Insch, 26 miles from Aberdeen, has its own fire station, with a fully prepared fire engine.
He said: “It is tiring and it is tough, but the loads of satisfaction make up for that. Last year I was called out 50 times, the year before 80 times, and I have been at some big fires in my time. Commercial and industrial fires are the biggest – and the most dangerous. But the most heart wrenching are the domestic fires. People are seeing their homes being burnt down. It can make them hysterical and you have the double task of calming them down and putting out the fire.
“It isn’t always easy. But we all do it because it is a good job well done and the satisfaction that you are doing your community a service is very rewarding.”
He is given time off, annual leave, and that is when he treasures his time with his two daughters.
“The kids are a bit left out, some of the time, which is something I regret, but I try to make it up to them when I can. Rebecca is very understanding. She knows it is something I have to do. My dad did it and I aim to beat his 20-year service – so I won’t be giving up for a while.”
Ian Findlay, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service Local Senior Officer for Aberdeenshire and Moray, said: “Retained firefighters like Kieran make a real difference to the communities they serve. These are people who live and work within these communities and who step up to help at times of emergency; it is a service for the community, by the community. There is no doubt that recruitment can prove challenging and that is for a number of different reasons including the fact that people no longer work in their home towns.
“We are therefore now looking at a number of different options to reflect modern society to increase the availability of our RDS firefighters. These include a more flexible and responsive crewing option combined with the latest technologies and equipment. Together, these could allow RDS crews to respond more effectively and efficiently to a wide range of emergencies and meet the very unique needs of each rural community.
“I would encourage others to broaden their horizons, learn new skills and serve at the very heart of their communities by becoming a retained firefighter. I would also like to thank employers across Scotland for their continued support.”
