Importance of retained fire crews highlighted after A90 blaze

The importance of retained firefighters has been stressed by local emergency services workers after a major fire on the A90.

Firefighters used three high-pressure jets to extinguish a blaze involving a lorry south of Stonehaven on Thursday afternoon.

All three crews involved serve on the retained duty system (RDS), serving “on call” in addition to their regular jobs.

Watch manager John Strachan, the incident commander at the fire, said: “Being a retained firefighter is a very, very rewarding role and even after 40 years, it’s something I still enjoy.

“It’s a cracking job there’s no career like it and I plan to be in the service for a few years yet.”