Make a date with our airport fire heroes
Members of Glasgow Airport Fire Service have become calendar boys.
They posed for a charity calendar to help raise funds to buy equipment for fellow firefighters in Lima, Peru.
The service’s Blue Watch crew were only too happy to take part in the photoshoot – and were just as glad they didn’t have to do the typical charity calendar thing and take their tops off.
The exclusive World Fire & Rescue 500 calendar is the brainchild of nowretired former Clyde FM employee Richard Glen, who launched the first edition back in 2013.
Dad-of-two Richard said: “This is the third edition of the calendar, which is produced on an entirely voluntary and cost-free basis and we’re now a registered charity.
“The first edition raised more than £20,000 and the funds were split between the Firefighters Charity in the UK and the Norwegian Association of Burns Victims.
“The second and third editions support the 150 volunteers who make up the Victoria No8. I met them while on holiday Peru with my daughter Sara and realised they needed some additional support. Some of their equipment dated back to the 1980s and needed to be replaced as their station is one of the busiest serving a city population of more than 10 million.
“In each of our calendars to date, there has always been one page with an aviation connection, so to have the fire service from my local airport on board for 2019 is just brilliant.
“The Blue Watch guys involved couldn’t have been more helpful or accommodating and, on a rather windy, dreich day, even turned the rain off for us.”
Only 150 copies of the calendar are sold each time, and as a rare collectable the calendar raises thousands of pounds to help provide vital equipment for overseas fire services and support for UK firefighter charities.
This year’s calendar will raise much-needed funds for the Peruvian Bomberos Voluntarios at British Fire Brigade Victoria No 8 in Lima.
Glasgow Airport’s Blue Watch crew have joined fire services from Amsterdam, Berlin, Bratislava, Budapest, Chicago, Davos, Lima, London, Napier in New Zealand, Nashville and Sark in the Channel Islands for the 2019 Calendar.
Glasgow Airport Fire Service has four rotations, with each Watch consisting of 14 firefighters. The service operates 24 hours a day 365 days a year and has a fleet of nine vehicles and appliances, an airfieldbased fire station and training rig and a boathouse with two rescue vessels covering both the White Cart and Black Cart rivers as well as a section of the river Clyde.
Glasgow Airport Fire Service Watch Commander Laurie Wylie said:“We were honoured to be able to help a wonderful charity and most importantly support our colleagues in Lima, Peru.
“The funds raised will go to supplying the volunteers of British Fire Brigade Victoria No8 with much-needed equipment.“Thankfully for everyone involved, the Blue Watch boys kept their gear on for the photoshoot as no-one really needs to see that!”