Fraserburgh Fire Brigade

The origin of the Fire Brigade in Fraserburgh is rather obscure. It is known that in the early part of the century the Fire Brigade equipment consisted of a hand-barrow with stand-pipes and a few lengths of leather hose.
This was the position immediately prior to 1931, the responsibility for the Fire Brigade being that of the Burgh Surveyor of the day, at that time a Mr. Alexander. The 12 firemen were also Town Council employees.
In 1931 the Council purchased its first motor driven fire appliance – a Dennis machine with a Braidwood body, having a built-in self-propelled pump. The Burgh Surveyor at this time was a Mr. Hamilton. It is understood that on the day the new fire appliance was installed a fire call was received but that as the machine was not fully equipped and immediately available, a call for assistance had to be sent to rivals and near-neighbours Peterhead – much to the chagrin of the local firemen.
The location of the Fire Station in Fraserburgh at this time was in Mid Street and the method of calling-out the firemen was by sounding the Gas Works horn – even in the middle of the night! Call bells, however, were installed in the firemen’s houses in 1936.
Mr. Meldrum who succeeded Mr. Hamilton as Burgh Surveyor then took over the responsibility of the Brigade just prior to the 1938 Fire Brigade Act coming into force. Under the new scheme, which embraced the whole of Aberdeen County, a second fire appliance and trailer pump was purchased for Fraserburgh to cover the county district. (Although delivery of the new appliance was not received until after the commencement of the war.) About this time too, the Auxiliary Fire Service came into being for a possible war emergency.
When war came in September 1939, the early days saw quite a few air raids on the East Coast of Scotland, particularly in the North East, and it was soon realised that the duties of the Burgh Surveyor and Firemaster had to be divorced were the two to function efficiently in face of the added hazards brought about by war.
Consequently the first whole time Firemaster to be appointed was Mr. Elrick, previously a part time fireman, and in a short period he was given a small nucleus of whole time men from which to develop a bigger Brigade.
Fire Brigades throughout the country had hardly settled into the new organisation set-up  brought about by the 1939 Act when the formation of the National Fire Service in 1942 resulted from the need to adapt the organisation and method to meet the problems set up by intensive incendiary attacks on our cities.

DAL/SDC                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      18^th September 1959

Copied from a display board in Fraserburgh Fire Station.

2001 Scottish Ambulance Service crews now operate from this station but their vehicles are parked outside.

If you know of any mistakes in this or have any additional information please let me know.