Dingwall fire station transformed as part of multimillion pound upgrade

Dingwall fire station has been transformed, more than half a century after it was built.

It is hoped the £1.6m makeover will attract new recruits, especially women, to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) as the Highland town now has a station fit for the modern age.

The Dingwall upgrade was stage two of an almost £5m modernisation programme, which has also benefited Inverness fire station.

SFRS chief officer Ross Haggart attended the station’s opening ceremony. It was one of his last acts in the role before retiring from the service.

New decontamination systems are now in place at the station, which has new locker and drying rooms. It also has better arrangements for crews to clean and manage their kit safely.

SFRS area Commander Michael Humphreys said: “This marks an occasion where we can show that we’ve invested in our estate and shown that we’ve got facilities here to, hopefully, encourage more female firefighters to join the fire and rescue service.”

He added: “We’ve got a number of innovative initiatives that we are using in order to try and increase recruitment and retention.

“Our on-call firefighters give a tremendous commitment to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service but more importantly to their communities.”

He conceded that the level of firefighter cover at retained stations – all those north of Inverness – remains “an ongoing challenge”.

Dingwall and Seaforth councillor Graham MacKenzie, who chairs the “communities and place committee” which oversees fire service matters, said: “I think it’ll make a huge difference. It’s been a long time coming, this fire station.

“It’s been here since 1971 and there’s been minimal maintenance over that period, so it’s great to see this come to fruition.”