King’s Fire Service Medals awarded in honour of His Majesty's Birthday Awards
Watch Commander John Aitchison and Volunteer Leader Gerry Ralston have both been awarded the King's Fire Service Medal for their dedicated service in fire safety and community support.
An urban search and rescue specialist and an on call firefighter have been named in the King’s Birthday Honours.
Watch Commander John Aitchison and Volunteer Leader Gerry Ralston will each receive a King’s Fire Service Medal.
Watch Commander Aitchison has dedicated much of his time to international humanitarian work.
Following the catastrophic 2015 earthquake in Nepal, he committed himself to supporting Nepalese fire and rescue services, enhancing firefighting capabilities through training local responders.
John, originally from Corpach near Fort William, has personally trained hundreds of firefighters, delivered essential firefighting equipment.
Working in partnership with the Fire Aid and International Development on the Nepal project, he was instrumental in founding Everest Fire and Rescue, the official emergency service of the Everest region of Nepal.
He is proud to receive a King's Fire Service Medal. John said: “It’s an honour to receive the award. It reflects not only my journey but also the teamwork and support from colleagues both in Scotland and abroad.
“I hope this recognition highlights the importance of global cooperation in fire safety and emergency response.”
John’s distinguished career spans over 22 years, during which time he has held various operational and leadership roles within the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.
He is now an instructor in the national training centre in Cambuslang, South Lanarkshire, specialising in urban search and rescue.
John is also a dedicated member of UKISAR, the British Government’s international search and rescue team.
Recently, John returned to Nepal to deliver more training, which coincided with the commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the devastating earthquake.
Gerry Ralston has served the community of Salen, on the Isle of Mull, since 1988.
From the moment he picked up his helmet for the first time, Gerry has embraced everything connected with firefighter life.
The 60-year-old is hugely passionate about community engagement and spearheads several key educational efforts across the Isle of Mull. He is also integral in the recruitment and development of on call firefighters across the area.
Gerry, who now serves as a Volunteer Leader, balances responding to emergencies via a pager with work in the SFRS Community Action Team, family life and running a hotel business.
Commenting on his recent royal recognition, a delighted Gerry said: "I’m quite taken aback by the news, I’m delighted.
“Helping my community is why I started as a firefighter, and it’s why I keep going.
“There are eight of us on my Watch, and we’ve all been together for a long time.
“There are times responding to shouts can be challenging, but I know how important this kind of work is for rural communities.”