Scottish Fire and Rescue Service officers awarded the Queen’s Fire Service Medal

Three officers of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service have been awarded the Queen’s Fire Service Medal in recognition of their outstanding contribution to the fire and rescue service.

Alex Clark the Deputy Chief Officer of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, along with Assistant Chief Officers Dave Boyle and Lewis Ramsay have been recognised for their commitment and outstanding contribution to the fire and rescue service.

Alex Clark, 45, joined the fire and rescue service at the age of 18 and spent 26 years in Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service rising to the rank of Chief Fire Officer before his appointment as Deputy Chief Officer of the SFRS.

Since taking on the role of Deputy Chief Officer of the SFRS, Alex has continued to effectively lead the work of reform. He is the senior responsible owner for the service transformation programme at the same time overseeing the day to day delivery of the service.

Commenting on the award Alex said: “I am honoured and humbled to have been nominated and receive this prestigious award.

“It has been a pleasure to serve the communities of Lothian and Borders and I consider it a privilege to continue to serve the communities across Scotland in my role of Deputy Chief Officer with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.”

Dave Boyle joined the fire and rescue service in 1986 at the age of 20 and spent 27 years in Tayside Fire and Rescue eventually becoming temporary Chief Officer in 2012 before becoming Assistant Chief Officer with the SFRS.

In addition to his role as Assistant Chief Officer, Dave is the Director of Service Delivery for the West area which covers the geographical areas of the former Dumfries and Galloway and Strathclyde fire and rescue service.

Dave, 49, said: “I am delighted, and somewhat overwhelmed, to have been nominated and awarded this prestigious honour.

“The fire and rescue service has transformed itself over the last decade and the creation of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service is the latest step in delivering a truly world class public service to all our communities.

“I have been privileged to work with many talented and professional people throughout my career and am extremely proud to have played a small part in such a successful transformation.”

Lewis Ramsay joined Strathclyde Fire Brigade in 1989 serving as a firefighter, then as a junior officer in a number of stations before being promoted to senior officer. In 2004 he was appointed as South Glasgow’s Area Commander and four years later was promoted to Assistant Chief Officer (ACO) where he led Strathclyde Fire and Rescue’s Community Safety Directorate.

Lewis, 45 who as Assistant Chief Officer is the Service’s Director of Prevention and Protection was recently recognised for his work on developing a national strategy for Fire Safety Audits and Inspections.

When informed of the award Lewis said: “I am delighted to be receiving this accolade and flattered to have been recognised in this way. I feel very humbled and grateful and would like to thank all who have supported me over the years. “

Alasdair Hay, Chief Officer of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said: “I am very pleased that the outstanding contribution to the fire and rescue service by these men has been recognised by the award of the Queen’s Fire Service Medal. All three officers are totally committed to serving the communities of Scotland and I am very fortunate to have such dedicated officers as part of my Strategic Leadership team.”