AFTER 20 years of service, Troon’s fire station’s Watch Manager is hanging up his uniform for a semi-retired life.

John Moffat joined Scottish Fire and Rescue in 1997 at the age of 35 and has always been based in Troon.

He has dealt with a lot over two decades, from tackling blazes in Irvine to saving a dog in Troon - you name it, he’s done it.

Speaking to Ayr Advertiser Series, John reflected on the highlights of career.

He said: “I have seen a lot in my time, from road accidents to houses fires - some of the good and some of them bad.

“I have dealt with various fires and one that I will always remember was a fire that happened in 1999 in Irvine at Garnock Court.

“It was one of the biggest fires I’ve been to and it was one of the biggest in Europe at the time.

“It was a nine storey building that burned down and it was such [significant] fire that we could see it from Troon - that was quite a scary one, that one.

Ayr Advertiser:

“One of my memorable highlights was an incident we attended in Troon last year where we saved a dog at the Royal Troon Golf Club.

“It went down a rabbit hole of such and got itself trapped.

“The owners spent nearly two hours trying to get it out and called us about 9:30 at night.

“Ourselves and the police managed to dig a hole and rescued the wee dog and it survived - that is definitely one of my highlights.”

Even though he is retiring from the fire service, he will still continue his career as a self employed gas engineer.

Working up the ranks, in 2004, John became second in command as a sub officer, in 2005 he became the crew manager and in 2011, he took over as watch manager and carried this title for six years.

His son, David, is following in his foot steps as he is a full time crew manager based in Kilmarnock.

John, added: “I have thoroughly enjoyed working in the fire service and you create a bond with the guys you work with.

“I will miss working with the guys at Troon - it was like having a wee family.

“It was definitely a very enjoyable and rewarding career.

“I would like to thank my family and my wife, Christine, for putting up with it all these years and to the crew, to stay safe.”

From the fire fighters at the Troon fire service, they said: “John was a really good gaffer and he done a lot of work for the community and for the fire service.”

The Ayr Advertiser Series wishes John the best of luck in his retirement.