Kilchoan firefighter awarded Queen’s Fire Service Medal
A Kilchoan firefighter says she feels ‘really honoured’ to be recognised in this year’s Queen’s Birthday Honours for her outstanding service to the community.
Rosie Curtis, watch manager at Kilchoan Community Fire Station, has served the 150 residents on the Ardnamurchan peninsula for two decades and has has been awarded the Queen’s Fire Service Medal in recognition of her service.
The accolade is presented to members of UK fire services or distinguished service, and Rosie is one of just three Scottish recipients this year.
Responding to the news, Rosie said: ‘It’s taken me by complete surprise, I didn’t have a clue!
‘I’ve recently finished my 20 years’ service so when I got the letter I thought it was for that. I still had my uniform on, so it was bizarre when I read it was for the Queens’ Honours. I had to ask my husband to make sense of it because I couldn’t quite believe it.’
The mother-of-three signed up as a retained firefighter in October 1998 and served as a frontline firefighter before stepping up to a leading role at the station when the future of the service in Kilchoan looked in doubt.
In 2013, there was a possibility the station at Kilchoan would close due to the loss of the station managers, but Rosie volunteered to take on the management of the fire station.
‘At the time it was my husband who was the watch manager. We had a team meeting and I agreed to take it on. It was difficult but once you sign up, you’re doing it for the community,’ she said.
As a result of her hard work and determination, Rosie was promoted to watch manager at Kilchoan Community Fire Station in April 2014 and has since ensured her community has an operational, competent and highly motivated team of firefighters.
Under Rosie’s leadership, the station has completed more than its allocated number of home fire safety visits.
Rosie, whose husband David is also a firefighter, balances her role as watch manager with her full-time job as a fish farm manager with Marine Harvest, all while looking after three young children.
‘Every retained firefighter puts in the same amount of effort,’ she added humbly.
‘Although I’ve been recognised, there will be lots of people out there that deserve this as much as I do.’
Rosie’s family has an illustrious history with the fire station at Kilchoan as her father was in the service for 35 years, while her brother, sister and husband all worked as firefighters, meaning the family has been covering the area for more than 55 years.
Despite this, Rosie highlighted the importance of keeping a balance between home, work and the fire service. In particular, she praised the role of employers in the area being supportive of retained fire crews.
‘We are all employed and have to be let out of work to do our job as firefighters. Without those employers it wouldn’t be possible.’