Glasgow Fire Service

Glasgow has had an organised fire brigade since around 1643, when the earliest recorded reference to the purchase of leather buckets for firefighting is found.

[10] In February 1849, 65 people, almost all under the age of 20, were crushed to death in a panic caused by a small fire in the Theatre Royal in Dunlop Street.

[11] Forty years later, on 1 November 1889, 29 young women aged from 14 to 25 were killed when the Templeton's carpet factory[12] in the east end of the city collapsed during high winds.

[15][16] A fire in a fashion store on 4 May 1949, at 43 Argyle Street owned by Grafton's led to the deaths of thirteen young women, six of them teenagers.

[17] Fires continued to plague the city throughout the late twentieth century, resulting in the deaths of many more civilians and firefighters.

A serious fire occurred at Leon & Co in Ballater Street, on the south side of the city, killing five male employees.

[32] Crews arrived within four minutes of the 999 call made at 10:31 am but could not save the occupants, who were trapped behind barred windows and locked fire escapes.

The courage displayed at Kilbirnie Street led to eleven awards of the Glasgow Corporation Medals for Bravery and a Queen's Commendation for Brave Conduct.

He succumbed to smoke inhalation and was awarded a posthumous Queen's Commendation for Brave Conduct and the Glasgow Corporation Medal for Bravery.