Kirkwall and Orkney Islands Fire Department

When during our travels we have the opportunity to visit fire departments to see what we can learn.


No trouble finding it.
Very nice looking place.


A variety of response vehicles were parked outside.


A knock at the door and Scott, on the left and Mick, on the right greeted us and invited us in.
 

They said that their department is responsible for responses anywhere in the Orkney Islands.
As you can see from this map that could result in long response times.
They do have trained firefighters on many of the islands but this station often responds as well.
They have a boat available.


These filled gear bags, boxes of new boots and helmets were ready for a new class of recruits that were about to start their training.
recruiting new firefighters isn't a problem for them..


A tour of the equipment they carry on their trucks was next on the agenda.
Neat and well laid out, easy to get to.
They have a booster reel which they said is useful to start putting water on a fire very quickly while larger hoses are being deployed.


The forward compartment has hydraulic extrication tools and struts for stabilizing vehicles that have been in an accident.
Very similar to what we use but quicker to deploy than ours which use a portable pump since theirs use the truck for power.
That means they need to get closer to the damaged vehicle which may not be possible in some cases.
We have recently gone to battery powered ones which are both quick and not limited because of vehicle accessibility.


I wish I would have asked about the system they have for getting the ladders off the truck.
It may be useful for one of our trucks.


This pump can be used to draw water from rivers or lakes using the strainer that you can see.


We always enjoy it anytime we can visit other departments to learn from them and share stories about their (and our) problems and successes.

Other fire departments we have visited.

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