Experienced firefighter appointed as new senior officer for Scottish islands.

A new senior top officer has been appointed for Shetland, Orkney and the Western Isles.

Fraser Burr formally took over the reins as local senior officer (LSO) for Scotland’s major island communities at the end of last week.

Mr Burr joined the service in 1988 before rising to become a group manager and head of community safety.

The experienced firefighter was then appointed prevention and protection regional coordinator within the newly formed Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.

His final role before being appointed LSO was as an area manager for SFRS’s Research and Development Department.

Speaking about his appointment Mr Burr said: “To be honest, I have not stopped smiling since my appointment because I am working to help protect one of the most beautiful areas of Scotland.

“The islands are stunning, each in their own unique way – and I am fully aware that they each have their own unique needs.”

He added: “I am very enthusiastic about working with local people – because they absolutely need to sit at the heart of our efforts.

“The important thing is that our communities are left in no doubt that we are working tirelessly to protect them.”

Mr Burr also paid tribute to his predecessor Billy Wilson for laying down strong foundations on which Mr Burr can now build.

He said: “There can be no doubt about the commitment of our national service to protecting people here and across the diverse communities throughout the whole of Scotland.”

He added: “Prevention of fire is a key focus of the service – but we’ll be looking at new ways in how we can broaden our service to consider how we can work to prevent other types of harm.”