For the period from 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022

Notice is hereby given under Regulation 9 (1) of the Local Authority Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2014 that:

Accounts for the period 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022

Notice is hereby given under Regulation 9 (1) of the Local Authority Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2014 that:

John McKenna was a young trainee fire fighter when he witnessed his first fatal road traffic incident – made all the more difficult as the victim was someone he knew.

John is Station Commander with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service here in Orkney and has attended numerous serious incidents during his 32 years’ service, sadly many of these have involved the loss of life.

He said: “One incident stands out more than the others for me, not only was it the first fatal road traffic incident I attended but the victim was someone who I knew. I was a trainee retained firefighter at the time in a small village community in central Scotland and I was part of a crew who attended a collision between a car and a motorcycle only a few hundred metres from the fire station.

 

Emergency services in Orkney will be dealing with a mock road crash on Kirkwall’s Broad Street on Saturday 2 July as part of driving home a hard-hitting road safety message.

Although this scenario will be staged for the public to come along and witness a “casualty” being removed from a damaged vehicle, the scene and the onward ramifications is all too familiar for some.

Orkney’s Area Commander, Chief Inspector Ali Garrow said: “One of the first facts established is if the accident could have been averted. Ninety per cent of all accidents are human error and the most common age for people to be killed is males aged from their late teens to early 20s. Lives lost much too soon, and families and friends left devastated forever.

Orkney-born Sergeant David Miller is based in Dingwall with the Highland and Islands Road Policing Unit so he has witnessed many horrific – and tragically preventable – deaths on the country’s roads.

“I don’t keep a count of the number of serious and fatal collisions I have attended but that total would be well into 3 figures. Every single collision is unique, whether that be in respect of the circumstances surrounding it or the physical and emotional damage it leaves behind.

“The striking thing for me is that anybody could be involved in a fatal or serious collision during their day to day lives, it doesn’t discriminate. Unfortunately, I’ve dealt with fatalities of all ages, including young children, with people from all types of background.