The crew at Dunvegan Community Fire Station on the Isle of Skye have recorded - 'Things Are Hotting Up', as part of a community album raising funds for the charity - Alzheimer Scotland.
The song and accompanying music video offer a humorous look at their day-to-day lives. It was the idea of John Shurmer-Smith, a former international touring musician, who balances life as an on-call firefighter with supporting local community arts projects.
on-call crew shortages
John, better known by his stage name Louis Barabbas, said, "Though the project was a lot of fun, the idea was borne out of quite a challenging situation, namely on-call crew shortages. We’re always looking for ways of promoting the work we do engagingly."
He adds, “In many ways, being part of a fire crew feels a lot like being in a band again."
image of firefighters
SFRS is calling on people from all backgrounds and communities to consider a career as an on-call firefighter
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) is calling on people from all backgrounds and communities across Scotland to consider a career as an on-call firefighter.
John added, “There’s maybe a sense the image of firefighters is quite stoic, quite macho. But my experience is anything but, it’s a community job, it’s about caring for people and it couldn’t be more human."
emergency response role
Like fellow on-call firefighters across Scotland, the Dunvegan crew balance their emergency response role with other employment and family life. They respond to 999 calls via pagers to support their neighbors in times of need.
Station Commander - Karla Stevenson, said, "I’m very proud of John and the Dunvegan crew for coming up with such an imaginative way to promote the talent and diversity of on-call firefighters. It was a privilege to play a small part in this."
community involvement
John is joined in the crew at Dunvegan by Watch Commander Alasdair Maclean
Karla Stevenson adds, "Our crews, especially on-call personnel, are so vital to island communities like Skye and this video is a perfect example of our community involvement."
John is joined in the crew at Dunvegan by Watch Commander Alasdair Maclean, Crew Commanders Miriam Ascher and Scott Maclucas-Paton, and Firefighter Iain MacPhie.
promoting music and art projects
The song is part of a community album released by local charity SEALL, which works to promote music and art projects in Skye and Raasay.
The album was funded through Creative Scotland's Culture Collective initiative and all proceeds will go towards supporting the work of Alzheimer Scotland.
