A FIREFIGHTER from Ayrshire has just taken on a top ranking role within the service.

It was announced this week that area commander Kevin Murphy is to become the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s Local Senior Officer for East Renfrewshire, Renfrewshire and Inverclyde.

The move will see Kevin, 43, return to the area where he began his career some 22 years ago having first joined the ranks as a firefighter based in Clarkston.

His new role will involve the responsibility for eight community fire stations across the three council areas.

He will also oversee close collaboration with key partners, such as other blue-light services and local authorities, to improve and enhance the safety of local communities.

Kevin commented: “I’m hugely proud to come back to this area and to begin my new role as Local Senior Officer.

“While I’m not originally from East Renfrewshire, Renfrewshire or Inverclyde, I know the areas well through my time based here.

“I’ve always held great admiration and been very respectful of the job our crews and all staff across the area do.”

Though Kevin's role is not within Ayrshire, he may be a familiar face to many in the area.

As well as working in the county previously, Ayrshire is where the dad-of-three calls home.

Kevin also has experience working on one of the most terrifying incidents the area has seen in recent years - the Kincaidston explosion in October 2021.

He said: “That was a difficult situation and one that will stay with me.

“I was driving into that housing estate in Ayr and still, hundreds of metres away from the incident, you were bumping over bricks, masonry and bits of wood that had been thrown out by the explosion.

“You knew straight away it was a very serious incident. It was my role immediately upon turning up to ensure the safety of everyone who was in attendance.”

While a little further from home, Kevin also took charge of the recent large-scale fire at an recycling plant in Linwood in June this year.

He added: "It was a very challenging incident, clearly for the initial attending crews who had done a great job to create a safe working area.

“The building was very seriously damaged and there was a lot of debris lying about.

“Our crews had done a great job to protect the surrounding buildings as well.

“I took over as Relief Incident Commander the next morning. It was my role to maintain the safety of crews, continue firefighting operations and liaise with partner agencies.”

Away from work, Kevin enjoys spending time with his young family, who have a lot of admiration for the job he does.

He enjoys watching sports, playing golf and is an avid fan of his local football team, Kilmarnock FC.

Kevin said: “My family are very proud. They’re always asking questions about my job and about the fire service.

“They hear the phone calls and messages from incidents coming through my radio and see me going into the car and putting the blue lights on. You naturally do take that element of your role home.”