By PETER DOUGLAS
CAPTAIN Stuart McCall has finally decided it’s time to step down from the helm of the Montrose Fire Brigade.
After a distinguished career, which has included the past 12 years leading the station, Captain McCall will hand over the reins to captain-elect Rob Waters on 30 June.
Captain McCall first volunteered his time to help the station in 1984, quickly progressing through the ranks to 2nd Lieutenant in 1993, then 1st Lieutenant in the same year.
He served as 1st Lieutenant for nine years, before taking on the role as captain.
Captain McCall said he had inherited a well-run station and is proud to be leaving it in good shape.
“I don’t really think of achievements too much, but I’m proud of maintaining the stability of the station,” he said.
But while modest, Captain McCall has overseen vast changes at the station.
He said one of the most important has been the increase in numbers of female volunteers.
“One of my aims had been to change the diversity of the group,” he said.
“It’s great to see how many females we have in our unit.
“As a team, we’ve been successful.”
Captain McCall said he was also pleased with the way the station had embraced the digital age.
“We’ve been able to streamline our processes due to an increase in our information technology,” he said.
“Our systems are on-par with other stations in the region.”
Captain-elect Rob Waters said Captain McCall deserved all praise that was coming his way.
“Stuart’s leadership has steered the brigade for over a decade, sacrificing thousands of hours of his own personal time and managing the brigade,” he said.
Stuart is the eighth captain of the Montrose Fire Brigade in its proud 77 years.
