Firefighting on Lismore (2)

The fire station opening, 1 October 2005

This was a momentous day for the island and a formal affair. Indeed so many turned out there was standing room only when Chief Fire Officer Brian P Sweeney began proceedings. He was flanked by senior members of Strathclyde Fire and Rescue, plus the newly trained island volunteer unit, and the men and women who had done the job since 1962.

After the Reverend Murdoch had dedicated the station, Brian Sweeney presented training certificates to Duncan Brooks, Gilleasbuig Black, Jon Derham, David Meddes, Gill Bridle, and Mairi Perkins. Then, in an entertaining but serious speech, he told islanders he was determined to increase fire safety in Strathclyde where, he said, you were still twice as likely to die in a fire as anywhere else in the UK. He also said the community could expect a visit from their firefighters checking the safety of homes and advising on escape strategies etc.

He talked about the many hats volunteers wear. Deirdre Campbell had become the first female firefighter in 1989, and later leader, while working as the school secretary and a crofter. The current leader, Duncan Brooks, described himself as a farmer/crofter, local contractor for Scottish and Southern Energy and tree surgeon. All firefighters, Officer Sweeney stressed, have multiple responsibilities and for many it is a family affair. Donald Black’s son Gilleasbuig serves today as does Bill Willis’s son Mark. Without Bill, he said, there would be no fire service as his water divining skills found the borehole.
He made special mention of Donnie MacCormick, the longest serving firefighter who had served for almost 30 years.

And finally, we learnt, Lismore’s Fire station had cost £380,000 (more expensive than Appin because of its island location and need for a water pump) and the architects were Argyll & Bute Council’s Property Services.

The celebrations concluded with a buffet in the hall, where the children were delighted to be given souvenirs. It was mobbed.

Fire baskets from Lismore

When Lismore took delivery of its new fire appliance in April 2005, Gilly Dixon-Spain was asked to design a coarse filter for the hose, a filter which could stop blockages when sucking water from burns. She did this using the willow grown on her Sailean croft, and it was so successful that she later received a commission from Strathclyde Fire and Rescue for 35 baskets to be ready before the end of March 2006. This was a tall order but she accepted the challenge using Salix viminalis, and the order was completed and dispatched in good time.

More fire reports

Chimney fire, April 2004

The firefighters were called out for the second time in four days when Karen McLarney’s chimney went on fire. Karen, her husband Tony and their two children had only been in the cottage at Achinduin for a week and her husband was in Oban where he works as a firefighter. Fortunately, the children were not at home when the living room filled with smoke and flames leapt from the chimney. Dave Meddes, Gilleasbuig Black, John Carmichael, Mairi Perkins and Gill Bridle attended. ‘They were fantastic and very thorough’ Karen said and even came back two hours later to check all was well. ‘I feel safe and secure knowing we have such people on the island,’ she said.

Outreach technology, 24 October 2005

Thanks to the efficient working of the outreach technology fitted to a pensioner’s phone, the volunteer firefighters were able to prevent a pan fire becoming something serious. The phone picked up the smoke signal and sent it down the line to Glasgow who immediately alerted the Lismore Brigade. All agreed it was gratifying to see the system working so well with no damage to person or property.

Chimney fire, 2 February 2006

The volunteer firefighters were quick to deal with a chimney fire which started mid-morning. The alarm was raised when flames began pouring from Isobel Buchanan’s chimney at Clachan but the first she knew was a knock at the door and the appearance of the crew in full gear. Fortunately, the fire was quickly under control. It seems the chimney had been swept in December.

Home safety checks, March 2006

Thanks to the Better Neighbourhood Scheme, over 18 houses in Lismore have been given a thorough safety check. Brian Robbins from the Trading Standards Home Safety Division of Argyll and Bute has checked electrics—televisions, microwaves, plugs, electric blankets etc—as well as fitting and/or testing smoke alarms, carbon monoxide alarms, and seeing if there were dangerous rugs likely to cause a ‘slip and trip’. And it was all free if you were over 65 or had children under five, or were vulnerable in any other way.

Smoke detectors save the day, March 2006

Thanks to the quick response of the householder and the efficient working of the smoke detectors, serious damage was averted in a Lismore house. The fire started in the junction box in the electrical cupboard in the early hours of the morning and, hearing the alarm, Iris MacColl of Mid Farm, Achinduin, did all the right things: she got her family up and out, rang the emergency service and closed all doors and windows. Within ten minutes, the volunteer firefighters were there and were able to contain the fire with CO₂ and BCF powder. As the fire was electrical and they could not use water. They then had to keep an eye on the fire until the Emergency Scottish and Southern Electric team arrived just after 7 am to disconnect the power. Duncan Brooks said it was thanks to the new fire engine and the training of the volunteers that there was no serious damage or loss which there most certainly would have been under the old system. He also stressed the importance of fitting smoke detectors and of testing them once a week to make sure the batteries were still working.

Serious fire, 23 April 2008

A serious fire destroyed Lillian Colthart’s barn at Stronacraoibh but fortunately did not reach her nearby house. The strong, cold north-east wind was responsible for the fierce flames and the reason a sheep and three lambs were in the barn having just had a difficult birth. Lillian was alerted to the fire when her power went off some time after 8.30 as she finished her last round checking her sheep. The volunteer firefighters were there by 9 pm and fought the fire until nearly 2 am. The worst loss was the three lambs but the barn was also full of bikes, mowers, a small scooter and other farm/garden tools. Lillian had earlier tried to rescue the sheep and lambs but was beaten back, and it was not until two days later she realised the sheep had escaped somehow and seemed none the worse for her ordeal.