Roddie climbs to top of the ladder
Confirmed as local fire and rescue chief
Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has appointed a new senior officer to cover the Stirling area.
Area Manager Roddie Keith was confirmed in the role of local senior officer for Stirling and Clackmannanshire in October. Roddie, who originally comes from Falkirk, will split most of his time between fire stations in Stirling and Alloa but he also has responsibility for all 12 stations throughout the Stirling and Clacks area. He has been in the position on a temporary basis since April, and is now delighted the appointment has been made permanent. He said: “The local senior officer role is crucial within the fire and rescue service as this position cements the links between a national service and communities and councils.
“I work closely with both Stirling and Clackmannanshire councils where I represent the service on a number of partnerships and boards, and am held accountable for our performance in key areas such as the number of fires and fire casualties occurring in the area.
“Other key elements of my role are to ensure the resilience of our fire service resources and I manage 12 fire stations in total, ensuring that crews are competent and suitably equipped and supported to perform the broad range of duties that are now expected of them.”
Roddie first joined the fire service in 1990 as a firefighter with Central Scotland Fire Brigade. He worked at Bo’ness and Falkirk stations before transferring to Strathclyde Fire Brigade in 1997.
When SFRS launched as a national service in 2013 he was tasked with delivering a strategic assessment of services in Scotland and was then appointed as project manager for the delivery of a new operational intelligence process designed to drive improvements in firefighter and community safety.
He was also previously seconded to HM Fire Service Inspectorate, working directly for the Scottish Government in an auditing role.
Roddie added: “The job of a firefighter is becoming ever more complex. We will always be best known for our traditional firefighting role. However this is now only one small area of our expertise with crews trained to perform rope rescues of persons from above or below ground, rescue of people trapped in vehicles following road traffic collisions, deal with hazardous material incidents, respond to flooding incidents and provide support to colleagues in the Scottish Ambulance Service for medical response.
“As well as ensuring our operational response, I am responsible for community engagement and community safety.
“My Community Action Team is working hard, engaging with our communities and delivering safety messages in relation to home fire safety, road safety and even providing support for members of the public to learn life-saving skills such as CPR.
“We work extensively with our schools and provide opportunities for young people to learn life skills and build their confidence through youth engagement initiatives.
“I would like to say how delighted I am to be working in Stirling. In my short time here, I have been massively impressed by the sense of community spirit in the area and to see some of the innovative work that is already being carried out to improve community safety and provide support for those who may be less advantaged.”