One of the country’s longest serving firefighters is due to stand down this month after 44 years in uniform.
John Anderson, 63, joined up as a 19-year-old in 1971 and has served the community of Fraserburgh as part of Grampian Fire Brigade and, latterly, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.
Now, the self-employed joiner has made the decision to hang up his helmet and retire from his job as watch manager – a post he has held since 2009.
However, Mr Anderson will continue to serve with the International Rescue Corps (IRC) – a volunteer group that travels the world to provide help in the wake of disasters.
The father-of-two first joined the corps in 1986 and has been on deployments to trouble zones such as Turkey, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Algeria, Mozambique, and Afghanistan.
He has also helped rescue operations in Scotland and in 2004 he was part of a nine-hour mission to rescue a woman who had become trapped under rubble in the aftermath of the Stockline plastics factory explosion in Glasgow.
His efforts were recognised by then Prime Minister Tony Blair at an awards ceremony in London.
Mr Anderson was also part of an 11-person IRC team that flew to China in the aftermath of an earthquake in 2008 to help in the search for survivors.
The crew were refused entry to the country by the local government but he and the other corps members stayed on Lamma Island, Hong Kong, where they helped with local fundraising efforts for families affected by the quake.
Closer to home, Mr Anderson has been instrumental in organising an annual celebration of the north-east’s emergency services in Fraserburgh.
The Blue Light Festival promotes the work of the services and acts as a platform to promote community safety.
Colleagues honoured Mr Anderson yesterday and awarded him with a bronze statuette to mark his official retirement on May 31.
Chief officer, Alasdair Hay, said Mr Anderson had enjoyed a “remarkable” career.
“John has committed a huge part of his life to protecting the community in which he lives and he is a credit not only to the service, but to himself, his family, and the local community,” he said.
David Rout, senior officer in Aberdeenshire and Moray, said Mr Anderson would be a “huge loss to Fraserburgh and the wider Banff and Buchan area”.
He said: “John’s commitment to the fire and rescue service over the years has been exemplary and he is highly regarded not only at the station, but within the local community also.”