Firefighter hails 'best job in the world' after 50 years' service

Now 66-years-old, Mr Farries is one of the longest-serving members of any fire and rescue service in the United Kingdom.

Originally from Hawick in the Scottish Borders, Mr Farries has served his entire career in and around Edinburgh and has worked in all but one of the capital’s fire stations.

His half-century of public service has included lengthy spells as a firefighter, instructor and investigator.

And today he holds the position of a trusted oracle, tasked with cataloguing and preserving the rich heritage of firefighting in Scotland.

The grandfather-of-three, said: “I can’t pretend that I wouldn’t struggle to run up several flights of stairs with a line of hose in my hand and a cylinder on my back today in the same way I used to. But believe me, I’ve got plenty to give yet.

“Who needs retirement when you’ve got the greatest job in the world?

“I might not get paid a footballer’s wage, but I wouldn’t swap this for anything. The camaraderie, the lasting friendships, the opportunity to provide for my family doing something that I love - you can’t buy that.”

Mr Farries, who works between the service’s East headquarters in Newbridge and a storage facility near Falkirk, admits that when he first left school at 16 he was uncertain about his future.

“I’d no idea what I wanted to do when I left school in 1968,” he said.

“I wanted to be outdoors, but I didn’t want to go college.

“So I moved up to Edinburgh, went into fire brigade digs four days a week, and here I am, still here.”

Recalling his early days in the capital, he said: “Edinburgh was a very different place then.

“I was a 16-year-old boy from the Borders, and it was a real eye-opener.

“When I first went on the run, we had Niddrie, Greendykes, and to a lesser extent Portobello on our patch.

“They were rough places, the poverty was just unbelievable.”

Despite his years on the frontline taking their toll, Mr Farries laughs off the physical strain the job has placed on him.

He said: “My body’s certainly took a wee bit of a pounding over the years.

“I’ve still got a few marks and scars, mainly from the old breathing apparatus sets that we used to use.

“They were fitted with these metal bits that would heat up and scar your face, would you believe?

“But that was long ago, and dare I say it, I’ve been lucky.

“I ended up in hospital quite a few times, but nothing major.

“The first time, when a metal hatch nearly took off my finger, then when I got car battery acid in my eye, and once with heat stress after fighting a fire at an old underground bunker in Corstorphine.

“But I can’t complain, I’ve had worse injuries playing rugby.”

Today, Mr Farries lives at home in Currie, Edinburgh, with wife Michelle, 64 and daughter, Linzi.

His father-in-law William Connor was a former Deputy Firemaster with Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service.

And his son, also David, has followed in his footsteps and is a high ranking SFRS officer.

David, 42, currently Deputy Assistant Chief Officer for the North of Scotland, said: “My dad’s clearly left his mark on so many people.

“He’s always been a quiet and reserved guy, but all throughout my career - I’ve had people telling me how he’s helped them, or how much they’ve enjoyed working alongside him.

“To this day, more than 20 years in the job, I’m still ‘Young Dave Farries’ to some. And I’m incredibly proud of that.”

During his career, Mr Farries was awarded the Queen’s Fire Service Medal at Holyrood Palace for ‘conspicuous devotion to duty’.

However, he insists his service pales in comparison to his beloved wife Michelle.

He said: “People talk about my service career, and sticking around so long - but Michelle’s technically been in the fire brigade longer than me.

“Michelle’s dad, Willie, joined in 1954 and they lived in a brigade house at Lauriston from when she was young.

“Then there’s being married to a firefighter for 45 years - that takes someone special.”