Tributes have been paid to a self-employed Comrie roofer who has retired from his role as a village firefighter.
George Ferguson, 55, has stepped down after taking up the position on January 14 1988.
For more than 35 years he was on call for every hour of every day of the week, often sacrificing family and work commitments to help others in distress.
George was the longest-serving firefighter in Comrie by 14 years and has received gifts from Tayside Fire Service, Comrie Fire Station and the community council.
Gillian Brock, chair of Comrie Community Council, said: “Our retained firefighters work and have families so to dedicate 35 years of you life to our community on this scale is outstanding.
“We would be lost without them and they all deserve recognition.
“My husband used to be one so I know from experience the commitment they have to give.”
Inspired by staff and uncle
Comrie born and bred, George attended the village primary school and then Crieff High.
The Aberdeen fan did a roofing apprenticeship with Carmichaels of Comrie, where he worked with three retained firefighters.
His uncle John Brymer was also in charge of Comrie Fire Station at the time.
“I saw what they did and thought it would be good to join them, and to benefit the community as well,” said George.
After 13 years at Carmichaels, George had a spell at Guthrie and Robertson builders in Crieff.
Around 20 years ago he set up his own business, George Ferguson Roofing Contractors.
‘I would be working on a roof and the pager would go’
When George began in 1988 there were 11 firefighters in Comrie.
This number has since shrunk to half-a-dozen due to more people working outside the village and being unable to commit to the role.
Attendance at the fire station in Strowan Road on Thursday nights has been a mainstay from the beginning.
Monthly maintenance sessions on Tuesday nights have been added in more recent years.
But perhaps the greater commitment is attending unplanned emergency situations.
“Very often during the day I would be working on a roof and the pager would go,” George said.
“I have had times when I would take the van and leave journeymen on the job without transport – so that didn’t go down very well with them!”
Castle fire, Christmas blaze and frequent floods
Firefighters from Comrie serve a wide area.
So while George spent a day-and-a-half attending to a fire at nearby Aberuchill Castle in 1994, he was also part of an 11-hour operation to douse a blaze at Glencoe Ski Centre on Christmas Day 2019.
As well as fires, George helped with the recovery effort when Comrie was flooded in January 1993, February 1997, December 2006 and in August and November 2012.
“Not long after I first joined I experienced my first fatality in a house fire,” he recalled.
“The first one always sticks in your head.
“We just dealt with it, but now there is a lot of help and support.”
Worth the sacrifices
George had been in charge of the fire station for nine months when he called it a day in May.
He was given a shield from station colleagues and gifted a symbolic axe from Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s Tayside area commander Jason Sharp.
Retiring will help him spend more time with wife Claire and children Kieran, 25, and Nicole, 21.
“I thoroughly enjoyed the time I have been in the role,” George said.
“You learn new skills and meet new people when you go away training.
“My wife’s never known me without a pager so they are not used to me being about on a Thursday night.
“I thank my family for putting up with me for all these years.
“They have been through some rubbish with me going away to a fire when we have been having a dinner.
“A couple of times we have been going to a party but a callout has stopped it.
“Your family life is affected.
“I would also like to thank the boys at the station for putting up with me all these years.”
