| Is this the most photographed van in the Highlands? |
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At first glance it looks like an ordinary Ford Escort van. Ladders on the roof-rack, writing along the side. There must be hundreds of tradesmen up and down the country using similar vans. On closer inspection you start to notice subtle differences. What’s the blue beacon on the top for? Then you read the name along the side of the van. ‘Highland & Islands Fire Brigade’, it proudly proclaims. Yes, this is what acts as a fire tender for Strathpeffer Auxiliary Unit. Tourists seeing the vehicle for the first time show signs of astonishment, but after the shock wears off the questions start. ‘How do you all get in that?’, ‘what can you do with that if one of the big hotels goes on fire?’ are two of the more common questions. After assuring the visitors that Dingwall is only five miles away and one day it is planned to have a larger tender in Strathpeffer, the requests for photographs start. So, photographs of Strathpeffer’s ‘Fire Van’ end up in the holiday snaps of people from all over the country and indeed, the world! This photograph was taken by a retired retained fire fighter from Gloustershire who wanted to show it to his old crew mates. ‘They’ll never believe me without a photo’, he said! |
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