Firefighters from Skye have put their own twist on a disco inferno by releasing a super-catchy song.
The crew at Dunvegan Community Fire Station has recorded Things Are Hotting Up.
And it’s extremely catchy.
The song is intended to give people an insight into what it’s like to be a firefighter in the Highlands and Islands.
Things Are Hotting Up
John Shurmer-Smith – a former international touring musician who now balances life as an on-call firefighter – sparked the idea.
John, better known by his stage name Louis Barabbas, said that being part of a fire crew “feels a lot like being in a band”.
“Though the project was a lot of fun, the idea was born out of quite a challenging situation, namely on-call crew shortages”, he added.
The song comes as the station sought to find a way to promote all of the work they do in an “engaging way”.
‘It’s about caring for people’
In a bid to recruit more people to join the fire service, the Dunvegan offered a humorous look at their day-to-day lives.
John is joined in the crew at Dunvegan by Watch Commander Alasdair Maclean, crew commanders Miriam Ascher and Scott Maclucas-Paton and firefighter Iain MacPhie.
“There’s maybe a sense the image of firefighters is quite stoic, quite macho”, said John.
“But my experience is anything but, it’s a community job, it’s about caring for people and it couldn’t be more human.”
Station commander Karla Stevenson also said: “I’m very proud of John and the Dunvegan crew for coming up with such an imaginative way to promote the talent and diversity of on-call firefighters.
“It was a privilege to play a small part in this.
“Our crews, especially on-call personnel, are so vital to island communities like Skye and this video is a perfect example of our community involvement.”
Proceeds will go to charity
The song is part of a community album released by local charity SEALL, which works to promote music and art projects in Skye and Raasay.
The album was funded through Creative Scotland’s Culture Collective initiative and all proceeds will go towards supporting the work of Alzheimer Scotland.
Anyone who would like to join the on-call band can visit the firefighter pages on the SFRS website.
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