Fire Engines Photos

Am going to sound stupid but why just summer months?

Added by Tom on 16 September 2012.

Maybe because of the tourist season? Maybe one of my scottish collegues can enlighten? I thought this was now on the run all the time with a retained crew the same as Johnstone's?

Added by on 17 September 2012.

Tom, was thinking this myself too. I know it's crewed by RDS staff but don't think that merits a return to civilisation during the winter months.am sure the risk factors decrease slightly but surely not enough that warrant the removal of a height?

Added by Stevie Murray on 17 September 2012.

One assumes summer months only due to enhanced life risk due to the large (hopefully) number of tourists.

Added by on 17 September 2012.

huge tourist increase in town population

Added by Colin Foster on 17 September 2012.

If my memory serves me correctly, many, many years ago during the summer tourist season there was a major hotel fire in Oban with fatalities. If I'm not mistaken, there was an issue with a wheeled escape during rescue / firefighting ops ? If so, memories are clearly long and having an aerial available during the summer season when the hotels are in full swing and help is a long way away, makes pretty good sense. Many of these hotels are fairly sizeable but will be closed during the off-season.

Added by Keith Richardson on 18 September 2012.

Comment removed at request of Commentor

Is it confirmed that this appliance is crewed by the Retained or is it purely an assumption ? Is it perhaps WT crews on a 'Rotational Summer Out-duty' system working hand-in-hand with their Retained colleagues ? Not as crazy at it sounds in what is a slightly unusual arrangement in the first place ?

Added by Keith Richardson on 18 September 2012.

This appliance is definitely crewed by the Retained at Oban only in the summer months due to the population rising in that area.Personally I don't see the point as I don't think it has ever been used in Oban.

Added by Steve Bonner on 18 September 2012.

Andy

It appears you and I 'sing from the same hymsheet' I passed a similar comment to this about pic 32560 - look at the comments I recieved in reply !!

Added by Rick Loudon on 18 September 2012.

I feel the phrase never say never come to mind. Cornwall only have two aerials and they were both off the run when that hotel fire struck. A aerial from Devon was sent but people still lost there life. I understand that it cost money to run these but like I've said before. You can give out as much advice as you can but it will never take the chance of something happing

Added by Tom on 18 September 2012.

in response to andy , why is it that some people have such a downer on retained firefighters , I have worked and indeed still do work both shift systems and in my experience they do indeed have the brains they were born with and the savvy to cope with more than basic firefighting , they also have the ability to attend training courses and can manage extra hours when required , they tend to be more obliging than wholetime and are definately more enthusiastic when tasked to do jobs outwith the norm , please guys give them some credit , wholetime /rds , good bad and indefferent in both

Added by Jim Johnstone on 19 September 2012.

You are right about the fire in a hotel in oban many years ago. Fire magazine did a special on it. I think you will find the fire call went to the police who sent an officer to investigate if it was a false alarm or not. The oic on responding to the fire station passed the hotel and made up at the station before he turned out. as they carried out rescues the ladder snapped. supporting pumps had to travel over sixty miles to the job.

Added by Dave Price on 19 September 2012.

When all is said and done, Strathclyde FRS have deployed this appliance as they would with any other and are clearly confident that (1) there is a need for it, or at least there might be a need for it, (2) it is justifiable, (3) it can be crewed, and (4) it can be operated safely, efficiently and effectively.

Added by Keith Richardson on 19 September 2012.

The Date of the hotel fire was 24 July 1973 at 03.56 and ten people died. as a holiday town can seen why they have a ALP in summer.

Added by Dave Price on 19 September 2012.

Jim, I totally agree with your comments. The HP was moved from Kidderminster fire station during it's refurbishment and located at Droitwich station. My dad was a retained J.O. and jumped at the chance to be trained in it's use. This involved commiting to extra daytime training with the wholetime in order to become qualified. I would have harsh words with anyone who felt the retained were not 'capable or worthy' of being trained on specials.The retained do a fantastic job and the fire service couldn't function without them. I have had the pleasure of working alongside some very capable and worthy retained firefighters, and I would finish by mentioning that a good number have now gone on to become wholetime. Enough said!

Editor: Any other discussion about wholetime and retained crew can be done by private mail. We had this discussion earlier.

Added by Matt Ireland on 19 September 2012.

This appliance is DEFINITELY crewed 24/7 365 days a year. When insufficient crew available it is crewed by RDS staff

Added by Andy Anderson on 27 September 2012.

The fire at The Esplanade Hotel, Oban, took place in the early hours of 24 July 1973, nine guests from Devon and Somerset died from suffocation from smoke, and a tenth died at The Western Infirmary in Glasgow from injuries received.
The call-bells sounded in the homes of the Oban retained firemen at 3.56 and Station Officer Joseph Simpson, passed the rear of the hotel in his car on his way to the fire station, and saw flames coming out of the windows. At the fire station Sub Officer George Downie was on the telephone to brigade headquarters in Johnstone and Station Officer Simpson shouted to him to “make pumps 4”, which would brought on a fire appliance from each of Inveraray and Lochgilphead in addition to Oban's pump and a pump escape. Inverarary and Lochgilphead are 40 and 38 miles each distant from Oban, and not “over sixty miles” as stated by David Price.
Because of the severity of the fire he had seen, Station Officer Simpson committed both appliances initially to the rear of the hotel.
As Fireman John McCallum was coming down the escape ladder with Mrs Olwyn Jones, she lost consciousness and fell between the rungs at the middle section. Leading Fireman Donald Malloch then went up to help with what was a dead-weight of 14 stones. Without warning, there was a crack and the ladder broke, slightly injuring Jones and the two firemen when they fell. During that time Mr Jones disappeared from the bedroom window and into the smoke.
At the Fatal Accident Inquiry, held under Scots Law, the jury expressed their entire confidence in all emergency services, especially the fire service and Station Officer Simpson's decision to deploy all resources at the rear of the hotel was fully borne out by later knowledge that seven of the ten who lost their lives were found at the back.

Added by Leslie Mutch on 12 June 2013.

Hi Leslie. Interesting reading thanks for sharing. Do you have the total appliance attendance for the Oban fire, or was the four pumps the total.

Added by Paul Warnock on 12 June 2013.

Four pumps before the stop message. Oban - P and PE. Inveraray and Lochgilphead (one pump retained stations) one appliance each.
One whole-time pump left Paisley at 0800 to help with the recovery of the bodies. Glasgow Salvage Corps also attended.

Added by Leslie Mutch on 12 June 2013.

Leslie thank you for your reply much appreciated. That's a good run from Glasgow.

Added by Paul Warnock on 12 June 2013.

Correct, Paul. It is a good run from Glasgow, but at that time the Glasgow Salvage Corps responded to calls to brigades throughout the west of Scotland. When Strathclyde Fire Brigade was formed in 1975, Glasgow Salvage Corps responded to calls within the Strathclyde fire area.

Added by Leslie Mutch on 04 September 2013.

Thank you Again Leslie, I hadn't realised That Glasgow Salvage Corps attended calls outside the City and Immediate area, I suppose I hadn't thought about over the border calls. Cheers.

Added by Paul Warnock on 06 September 2013.

We attended fire calls in the strathclyde area and of course "Special requests from outside our fire area" as soon as the call "salvage requested" was made by the fire officer in charge we turned out, Inveraray castle, Hopeton house near Edinburgh, Esplanade hotel Oban to name a few, we carried snow chains in the winter months just in case.

Added by Jack Mcdonald on 24 October 2015.

The fire in Oban was in the area of Western Area Fire Brigade. Strathclyde FB had not been born yet. I was in the watchroom of the fire station of Central Area Fire Brigade in Dumbarton. It was a quiet night and I was reading a book until I heard the unmistakable sound of a fire appliance at speed. I looked out the window, up Castlegreen St to the main road through Dumbarton and saw a fire appliance pass the road end with blue lights flashing. I was startled, as there was no evidence of a fire in our area, and called through the tannoy for Sub Officer Angus Kennedy to attend the watchroom. I told him what I had seen, and he was telling me that I was dreaming, when another fire appliance with flashing blue lights passed the road end. Sub O Kennedy immediately called our Control in Kirkintilloch and found out that Western Area FB were attending a serious hotel fire in Oban. Western Area FB at no time (as far as I know) asked Central Area FB for help. Pumps at Dumbarton, Helensburgh and Arrochar were closer but no assistance was asked for, that I know of because we were not turned out. I have no idea what the appliances that passed through Dumbarton were or where they had came from, could even have been the Salvage Corps, but I am glad that my Sub Officer was in the watchroom to witness the second of them. Brigades did not seem to ask each other for help in those days.

Added by Ian Middleton on 29 December 2016.

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