Firefighters remove 30 bags-worth of rubbish from Mosset Burn, Forres
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A TEAM of firefighters spent half a day clearing rubbish from a local river to raise awareness of the emergency service and encourage prospective employees.
From 11am-3pm on Sunday, May 1, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) watch manager Stuart Donald and 11 colleagues at Forres Fire Station cleared the Mosset Burn from Forres Academy, Burdsyard Road to the Mosset Tavern, Invererne Road - the crew carry out the task every year to do their bit for the environment while raising their profile and offering safety advice and home fire safety visits.
Crew Commander Davie Raeburn explained that at any one time there were four firemen in the water and four on the bank, one driver and another crew member providing advice and taking names for home fire safety visits.
He said: "We collected around 30 bags full of rubbish. There were the usual plastic bottles and discarded food wrapping ... as well as a shopping trolley, traffic cones and mobile phones!
"Unfortunately there was also a marked increase in discarded face masks."
He added: "We usually finish at the Mosset duck pond but due to the silt build up, we could only clear the edges there."
Davie confirmed his team is short of firefighters.
He said: "Our numbers are very low. On-call firefighters jobs are advertised on myjobscotland."
For more information about home fire safety visits see https://www.firescotland.gov.uk/your-safety/at-home/home-fire-safety-visit