A volunteer firefighter is being honoured by the Queen after four decades spent protecting his Highland Perthshire community.
Recently retired crew manager Gordon Brown has received the coveted Queen’s Fire Service Medal (QFSM) for 40 years’ service at Kinloch Rannoch.
The 58-year-old began volunteering at his local station after leaving school at 18.
Gordon described being chosen as a recipient of the QFSM as a “great honour” — and revealed it was his wife, Anne, who broke the news.
He said: “I saw that a letter had come in from work, but I never thought anything of it.
“It was actually my wife who opened the letter. She said: ‘You do realise you have been put forward for an award?’
“I wasn’t expecting anything like it — it is a great honour.
“If you ask any volunteer firefighter they will tell you they are not doing it for the glory, they do it for the people who stay in their village.”
Gordon followed in his father Peter’s footsteps by signing up as a volunteer and eventually replaced him as crew manager.
Such was his family’s relationship with the service, Gordon spent part of his childhood helping firefighters go through drills and manning hoses.
Now enjoying his retirement, the garage owner said his decision to serve was inspired by a sense of duty to his local community.
He said: “The village needed us.
“These people were our neighbours, people we knew. It was always personal and all for the community.
“I have lived here all my life, so I never did it for the glory. It was always about doing my bit.
“When we got a call it was a case of dropping the tools and getting to the station as quickly as possible.”
Gordon revealed his daughter, Rebecca, has also decided to register as a volunteer firefighter.
Rebecca, 23, who lives in Australia, joined up with her local crew and is now the third generation of her family to do so.
Gordon explained: “I’m very proud and so is my dad. He’s 88 now and he thinks it’s great that Rebecca has joined up.”
Gordon’s achievement was welcomed by Scottish Fire and Rescue Service Chief Officer Alasdair Hay.
“The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service sits where it does today thanks to the unstinting professionalism and dedication of all of its people,” he said.
“Many of our staff regularly go above and beyond what is expected of them and awards of this calibre only go to show that this dedication is recognised by peers and, indeed, local communities.
“Volunteer firefighters like Gordon play a crucial and selfless role in their communities.
“My congratulations and thanks to Gordon — he is a fully deserving recipient of this honour.”
Colin Grieve, local senior officer for Dundee, Angus and Perth and Kinross, added: “Volunteer firefighters are a credit to their communities and to the whole of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.
“Gordon’s commitment to his community is hugely admirable and he fully deserves this honour.”
