Huntly firefighter retires after 34 years of service
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Fellow crew members and staff from Scottish Fire and Rescue have paid tribute to firefighter Kevin Forsyth who has retired after 34 years service.
Recalling his very first call-out, Kevin explained: " This was to an RTA as it was back then at Drummies Corner, Inverurie.
"This was before the bypass was built. Huntly attended a number of shouts in the area back then, as we had cutting gear and Inverurie didn't.
"My last shout was to a bin fire at The Square in Huntly."
On the reasoning for signing up he continued: "A friend of my mum and dad's was retained crew and he had a bell in his house that went off in the evening and at night if there was an incident, as there were no pagers back then.
"I was always fascinated with this when we went to visit.
"During the day there was a siren that went off to alert everyone."
Over the years the job has entailed many memorable moments including as he recalled: "The Poundstretcher store fire in Aberdeen which was memorable for a number of reasons."
The Poundstretcher blaze in February 1998 was one of Aberdeen's worst fires and saw more than 300 firefighters at the scene for 12 hours after fire broke out in the 25,000sq ft store on a busy Saturday afternoon.
"Others included the Pauls Hill fire due to vast scale and the Flooding in Ballater, as it’s not every day you see a static caravan sailing down the river."
"The best bit of the job is working together as a team, and working towards getting a good outcome.
"The banter is great and I have made a number of great friends over the years.
"The worst part is the pager going in the middle of the night, although my wife used to sleep through it.
"I will miss the people who make the job what it is.
"Not just at our station but at other stations we have worked with over the many years.
For tjose thinking about a career as an on call firefighter he advised: " Do it! Its great to give something back to your community.
"The Fire Service is a big commitment and I have seen a lot of changes over the years from plastic leggings, a donkey jacket and rubber wellies to the best PPE and equipment on the market!
"There isn't another job like it."
Fellow firefighter Mark Allan said: "Kevin will be a huge loss not only to the fire station in Huntly but the whole community he has protected for the last 34 years and we all wish him the very best in his retirement.
"His knowledge and experience are simply irreplaceable and I would encourage anyone looking for a new challenge and to become part of our team to come see us at the fire station any Tuesday evening from 7pm."
Photo: Still Burning photography
