On call firefighter clocks off after more than four decades
A firefighter who dedicated more than four decades of his life to protecting his hometown has hung up his helmet for the final time.
Brian Haddow joined Lothian and Borders Fire Service as an on call firefighter in 1980 while working for a large wholesale organisation.
An on call firefighter carries a pager that alerts them to emergencies and Brian met the challenge head-on balancing family and working life.
The pride in serving his community and the closely-knit bond with his crewmates inspired Brian to remain on call for more than 44 years.
Now, aged 63, and after responding to thousands of incidents over the years, Brian has called time on his fire service career. He now intends to spend more time with his family and friends.
Reflecting on his firefighter life, Brian said: "It was my boss at the time, who worked as an on call firefighter, who asked me about the job. I didn't even ask about the pay, it was just something I wanted to do.
"There has obviously been a lot of change over the years, within the job and also within Tranent itself.
"The vehicles and equipment we have today are far superior to what we had back then.
"Tranent has also probably more than doubled in size. We used to get a lot of calls for house fires, but the increase in homes with smoke detectors has helped to reduce those kind of incidents, thankfully."
Brian now intends to spend more time with his family, but is certain that the closely-knit bond with the crewmates in his Watch will remain in place.
I'll miss the adrenaline rush of the pager going and wondering what we are responding to
He said: "I'm not sure what I'll do with my time yet, but I'm sure I'll be kept busy.
"I'll miss the camaraderie of being involved with the Watch, but we'll keep in touch and will meet up regularly.
"I think I'll miss the adrenaline rush of the pager going and wondering what we are responding to, but it's the right time to step back."
Andy Girrity is the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service's Head of Service Delivery for the East of Scotland.
He said: "On call firefighters like Brian are integral in protecting rural and remote communities right across Scotland.
"Forty-four years of service is an exceptional commitment to make and shows the level of passion Brian and his fellow on call firefighters have for community safety.
"I would like to take this opportunity to thank Brian for his outstanding commitment to his community and wish him all the very best in his retirement."
We are recruiting on call firefighters in areas across Scotland. You can view current vacancies on My Job Scotland.
You can also find out more about the on call role on our website.