A Moray firefighter who has served the people of Buckie for the last 40 years retired last week, after answering more than 6,000 call-outs in his career.
Alan Cruickshank has worked as a part-time firefighter since 1978 and has experienced everything from huge blazes to fatal crashes and countless chip-pan fires.
The 62-year-old is an electrician by trade, but donates his spare time to the station and has devoted his Monday nights to training for many years.
He has also been at the centre of some of the most notable incidents in the region, including the Cullen House conflagration and the St Andrews Hotel blaze.
He said: “I’ve been here for 40 years and I’ve covered a lot of shouts.
“The furthest I’ve been is Lerwick when I was part of an offshore firefighting team, while the first fire I was at was a chimney fire at Clochan and the last fire was a wee bit of rubbish across at the skate park.
“Fire-wise, there’s been a few big ones, Cullen House back in the 80s, St Andrews Hotel, those are the two biggest fires I’ve been involved in and I’ve also seen some sad things as well, such as road traffic accidents.”
Mr Cruickshank retired as a watch manager last Monday, 40 years to the day since he origibally joined the service.
During his time as a firefighter, he has noticed a huge change in the types of fire they are fighting these days.
He said: “The fires I dealt with most were chimney fires and chip-pan fires in my first few years as a firefighter, but nowadays they seem to be a thing of the past, because people have done away with them.”
Mr Cruickshank’s decades of duty are even more commendable, because he was advised to retire in 2001 after shattering his arm when he fell off a ladder while working as an electrician.
He said: “After my accident, I went to Penrith’s rehab centres that the Fire Fighters charity use down there.
“I spent six weeks down there and they paid for my rehab and then I did a bit of fundraising for them.
“This station and the crew have raised over £50,000 for the Fire Fighters charity and over £20,000 for local charities and local causes.
“I was off work for about eight months. I was actually told to retire after my operation from the fire service, but I lasted until last week, so I’ve done alright.”
