New Falkirk fire chief proud to serve district again

After spending large parts of his 26-year career battling blazes across the district, David Lockhart is now taking the next step up the ladder to lead the firefighters who serve the region.

David’s passion for his profession was handed down to him by his dad, Robert, who joined the fire service on the night his son was born.

Now a father himself to two children, David (44) initially began his career in 1992 as a retained firefighter in North Northumberland, where he spent two years learning the ins and outs of his trade while working alongside his dad.

David then became a frontline whole-time firefighter with what was then the Lothian and Borders Fire Brigade in 1994.

A number of key positions within the same brigade followed before David was given the task of designing and developing training methods for Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) firefighters three years ago.

With more than two decades of experience behind him, David is now relishing the opportunity to get started in his LSO role, which covers both the Falkirk and West Lothian areas.

It will be his responsibility to work with the regions’ councils, as well as a range of partner agencies, to make sure the fire service is performing as well as it possibly can at a regional level.

Describing what becoming an LSO means to him, David said: “I am absolutely delighted to lead the team serving our communities across Falkirk and West Lothian. It’s a real honour.

“I know the areas well, I’ve lived in West Lothian for 17 years and have a lot of experience working across the Falkirk and West Lothian areas.

“It feels a bit like a homecoming.

“My dad, who also worked with the ambulance service in North Northumberland, joined up as a retained firefighter the very night I was born. It’s been a key part of my family my entire life.”

David cites the opportunity to support others as the most important aspect of his job.

He added: “It’s a great privilege to be able to work with such a fantastic team and to be able to help other people.

“I am very much looking forward to continuing to develop positive relationships with other public, private and third sector partners to meet the priorities of our local plan to enhance the safety of the public.”

Alasdair Perry, SFRS Deputy Assistant Chief Officer for the East of Scotland, has welcomed David’s appointment.

He said: “I am pleased to announce that David is taking the reins as our new Local Senior Officer for Falkirk and West Lothian.

“He is an officer of the highest calibre.

“David will deliver local solutions to local challenges and will be able to use his experience and skills to help deliver for the people of Falkirk and West Lothian during a time of great change for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.”