As a head teacher and special constable in her spare time, Alison MacLennan is no stranger to handling tricky situations.
But the 55-year-old faced one of hardest experiences of her life when she found herself first on the scene of a fatal fire in Kyleakin.
The year was 2006 and Mrs MacLennan was returning home from being on duty when she saw smoke bellowing across the road.
Arriving first on the scene, she was shocked by the devastation which unfolded before her.
“I remember I was going home from being on duty that night. In those days, I was based in Broadford and we would have kept the bulk of our uniform at home,” she said.
“I didn’t have a radio, but I remember driving down into the village, seeing the smoke coming across the road and thinking someone had a chimney fire.
“When I got down, I realised it was a house fire.
“I remember climbing out of the car, I was trying to phone 999 as well to say that I was there and that I would stay put until police officers could attend.
“This family came running up saying, ‘Our sister is in the house’.”
The fire claimed the life of a woman in her 20s.
Being the first officer on the scene, she stood up to give evidence at the Fatal Accident Inquiry two years later.
She said it was “humbling” to witness the family’s strength in their time of grief.
“I think one of the most humbling experiences from that, was giving evidence at the fatal accident inquiry almost three years later and seeing how the family had moved on,” Mrs MacLennan said.
“Just seeing how brave they were in that process and having gone through that experience.”
‘I have thoroughly enjoyed the journey’
Mrs MacLennan, who is based at Kyle Police Station, has devoted her life to serving the Skye and the Wester Ross area in her capacity as a special constable.
For nearly three decades she has been a pillar of her community, striving to improve the lives of her fellow neighbours through her voluntary work.
Now she has been recognised for her devotion to the force, receiving a long service medal in recognition of her 29-year service to Police Scotland.
Sitting down at Kyle Police Station, she reflected on both the highs and lows of her decades-long tenure with the force – saying it had been a “real privilege”.
She said: “I have thoroughly enjoyed the journey of being a special constable. I think I have grown into the role.
“It has been about making a difference. I just love the people and the rapport.
“It is a real privilege to come alongside people if they are in a lot of distress, going through a hard time, or even just helping them.
“Very often when you are dealing with things, you tend to think if that was my son or daughter, how would I want that dealt with.”
Mrs MacLennan signed up to become a special constable in 1994 working from Broadford Police Station.
She has experienced the good, the bad and the ugly, covering breaking incidents and patrolling community events such as the Royal National Mod, the Skye Highland Games, and Belladrum.
She said: “When you are out on shift, you never know what is going to happen.
“What I have enjoyed is the challenge that this service has brought because there are times you are forced out of your comfort zone and you have to deal with situations.”
Police face race against time to locate missing diabetic boy
Mrs MacLennan recalled an evening where she and her colleagues faced a race against time to find a boy who was diabetic.
She said: “One night we were called to a campsite by a dad who had been camping with his twin boys.
“One of the boys was diabetic and he had gone ahead, taken his injection and needed to eat within 20 minutes.
“He had run ahead to his tent, got disorientated and got lost.
“The coastguard, the lifeboat and the coastguard helicopter were involved. It was one of those evenings where you seriously thought, we are going to find a body because time had marched on.
“Fortunately, the coastguard helicopter’s infrared cameras picked up the boy, who was well.
“We got there about 9pm and the boy was found at 4am the next morning.
“It was such a privilege to help.”
Special constable is “invaluable” in the eyes of her colleagues
Her colleague, Sergeant Chris Taite, said they would be lost without special constable MacLennan.
He said: “Alison’s invaluable.
“You need somebody who has got good local knowledge, is rooted well in the community and has an almost civil-minded duty to come out and help us and the local community.
“She’s just fantastic.”
Mrs MacLennan is now hoping other people will consider picking up the baton to give back to their local community.
She concluded: “I would highly recommend it to anybody if they are looking for something interesting to do in a means of service.
“It is about serving your community, having a love for your community and when you know the people, you know who the elderly are or possibly vulnerable; you know who to keep a look out for.
“Our communities need volunteers.”
Recruitment opportunities for special constables can be found on the Police Scotland website.
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