GR Direct - Sony - Save up to £500
Thursday 24 July 2025
 14.8°C   WNW Gentle Breeze
Ocean Kinetics - The Engineering Experts

Emergency services / Five new firefighters join the ranks

Back row: station commander Jim Riggins, watch commander Davie Lang, firefighter (FF) Guillermo Rotolo, FF Mark Dennis, FF Kieran Fraser, watch commander Alan Edwards. Front Row: FF Gary Laurenson and FF Graham Willmore. Photo: Dave Donaldson

THE SCOTTISH Fire and Rescue Service has welcomed its newest firefighters to the Shetland service.

The five new firefighters will take up posts in Bixter, Fair Isle and Scalloway following completion of an initial fire recruit course.

On call firefighters help to provide a vital emergency fire and rescue service to their local communities, 24 hours a day.

However, the role of an on call firefighter is not a full-time role.

They report to the community fire station to respond to an emergency call-out, from their home or their primary place of work, during their agreed on-call hours.

The news of five new recruits will be a boost given that there have been challenges in the past with staffing numbers at certain stations.

Trainees during an exercise at the Lerwick fire station. Photo: Dave Donaldson

Figures for July to September 2023 showed that the Scalloway station for example had 21 per cent availability, with five crew, and Bixter 13.27 per cent with four crew members.

However some stations such as Sandwick, Unst and Whalsay had near 100 per cent availability during this period.

Station commander James Riggans said: “If you are looking for a new challenge and feel like you want to become part of our team, we are always recruiting on-call staff across Shetland.

“The role is very varied, and we train our staff to respond to all types of emergency situations that we may encounter across the isles.

“They have started a journey into a hugely rewarding career and will continue to develop these skills whilst learning new ones.”

Local senior officer Scott Gibson added: “I am absolutely delighted to see the latest cohort of trainees successfully pass their initial training to become on-call firefighters within their local communities.

Become a member of Shetland News

 

“The commitment and dedication they have shown to achieve this standard and learn the skills required to help those when they need it most will prove to be a huge benefit across Shetland.

“We are always on the lookout for motivated individuals to join the service who are looking to be part of the team and provide an essential service in their local area.

“Congratulations again to them all and I look forward to welcoming them to Scottish Fire and Rescue Service in Shetland.”

For more information or to apply people can visit their local station or visit the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service website.

Become a member of Shetland News

Shetland News is asking its readers to consider paying for membership to get additional perks:

  • Removal of third-party ads;
  • Bookmark posts to read later;
  • Exclusive curated weekly newsletter;
  • Hide membership messages;
  • Comments open for discussion.

If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please become a member of Shetland News by either making a single payment, or setting up a monthly, quarterly or yearly subscription.

 

Sign up
for our Newsletters

Stay in the loop with newsletters tailored to your interests. Whether you're looking for daily updates, weekly highlights, or updates on jobs or property, you can choose exactly what you want to receive.

Advertisement 
Advertisement 
Advertisement 

JavaScript Required

We're sorry, but Shetland News isn't fully functional without JavaScript enabled.
Head over to the help page for instructions on how to enable JavaScript on your browser.

Interested in Notifications?

Get notifications from Shetland News for important and breaking news.
You can unsubscribe at any time.

Have you considered becoming a member of Shetland News?

  • Removal of third-party ads;
  • Bookmark posts to read later;
  • Exclusive curated weekly newsletter;
  • Hide membership messages;
  • Comments open for discussion.