A Buckie woman who made history as the town’s first female firefighter says Moray’s stations should no longer be a male domain.
Nicolle Beattie is one of only three women who work in Moray, compared to 107 men.
The 31-year-old joined the crew in Buckie four years ago, and says she became “one of the boys” in no time.
Miss Beattie took on the role simply because she thought the hours of a retained firefighter would work around her childcare commitments – as she has a 13-year-old daughter, Kayla.
But the occupation has since become a vocation for the Buckie mum, who now works full-time in Aberdeen as well as maintaining shifts in her hometown.
Miss Beattie admitted that hers was an unlikely career choice, given the lack of women in the service.
But she explained that often, during emergencies, it can be vital to have a female on hand as distressed or injured parties can find it easier to speak to her than one of her male colleagues.
Miss Beattie said: “I was duty officer at the swimming pool in Buckie when I applied to join the fire service as a second job.
“It was flexible, the hours fit in with looking after Kayla.
“Even though I was the only woman here, I was treated the same as everybody else when I started.
“I’ve learned about handling emergencies, and how to reassure people in tense situations.”
Miss Beattie added that she had gained a lot of self-confidence since joining the service and learning how to save lives.
Moray has 12 retained fire stations and a full-time base in Elgin, and the other two female firefighters work at Keith and Cullen.
The Buckie station was built in 1964, and went almost 50 years without a single woman on its payroll.
Elgin station manager, Gordon Morrison, said: “Everybody thinks the fire service is a male orientated environment, but there are certain things that women are better at.”
Buckie councillor, Sonya Warren, described Miss Beattie as an “inspiration”.
She added: “Miss Beattie is a fantastic example to other women and girls, it would be awesome to think she has encouraged a few little girls to become a firefighter when they grow up.”
A recruitment drive for new firefighters is being launched today, and more information is available at www.firescotland.gov.uk
