Forfar man Roy King’s retiral as a retained town firefighter has brought the curtain down on a remarkable family commitment to Scottish Fire and Rescue.
The 56-year-old auto electrical engineer has switched off his alarm pager for the final time after more than 31 years in the role – the last eight as Watch Commander in Forfar.
It’s a part-time career Roy was determined to follow in the footsteps of his late father, John.
He also gave around three decades of his life to the service and, like his son, was a highly respected figurehead of the local crew.
And Roy says serving the town in the rewarding – but often challenging – job is something he would “do all over again”.
Family tie
As a youngster Roy was determined to be a firie.
“Even from my time as a young bairn I remember hearing the old sirens on the top of Chapelpark School and the Reid Hall,” he said.
“Dad would rush out of the house when they went off.
“I wanted to join up as a retained firefighter as soon as I could.
“But it used to be the rule that a father and son couldn’t work together, so I had to wait until Dad retired.”
That came in the early 1990s when John stood down after a near 30-year career which began with the former Forfar Fire Brigade at the old Academy Street station in 1963.
In his time, John was a leading fireman, sub-officer and then station officer from 1986 until the end of his volunteer career.
He died in 2016 at the age of 80.
New town station
Academy Street was replaced by a new £1 million facility at Strang Street in 1997 before Tayside Fire Brigade became part of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.
“The changes since I joined up have been colossal,” said Roy.
“The new station was one, but the role of a part-time firefighter has moved on beyond so much more than fighting fires.
“There are so many different aspects to it now, including specialist skills like water rescue and a lot of community safety.
“It’s a 24-hours-a-day, 365-days a year commitment and I actually used to get into trouble for not taking holidays,” said Roy.
“I wouldn’t even go out on a Saturday night in case the pager went off – I haven’t had a drink for 23 years because you just never knew when you’d be called out.”
Challenging role
Roy has tackled multiple large blazes – and remembers rushing up to East High Street to watch his father during the operation to deal with the fire which gutted the old Regal cinema in July 1987.
“Fire is a devastating thing but I think the worst ones were always the call-outs when there were ‘persons reported’,” he added.
“Quite early in my career we had a terrible flat fire in which two children died and very soon after there was another fatality.
“Those and some of the horrendous road accidents we were called to always stay with you.
“But we were always there to talk to each other when we got back to the station.
“I think that has been a real strength of the Forfar station for both my dad and myself.
“Every one of the station officers I worked under were great role models and I hope I have helped others in that way.
“It’s a tough job, but I always thought it was a great thing to do for the town and I’m proud I did it.
“Half of the station at Forfar just now are whole-time firefighters in other places like Aberdeen or Dundee who then come back and carry the pager.”
Pride in the role
SFRS Deputy Assistant Chief Officer Stephen Wood and Roy’s successor as watch commander, Mark Wilson led the Strang Street retiral presentation Roy enjoyed with his wife, Val, family members and many other familiar faces.
“I tried to get my son, Jason, to carry the tradition on but he’s a policeman in Peterhead and has just become a dad so he’s got plenty to keep himself busy,” said Roy.
“To be honest I was flabbergasted by the amount of folk that turned out for the farewell.
“There were lots of familiar Forfar faces but also firefighters from Brechin, Kirrie, Arbroath and so on. It was a great send-off.
“I love the job, but I know in myself it’s time to go,” said Roy.
“It’s my choice, but I look back and know I would happily do it all again.”
Conversation