Altens

Altens Community Fire Station, located in Aberdeen City, is a former station of the Grampian Fire and Rescue Service. It has three bays and operates on a 'wholetime' basis. The station houses several specialist appliances, including an all-terrain vehicle, command support unit, and line rescue unit.

 

The line rescue unit was introduced in 2020 to provide level 3+ rope rescue coverage across the North of Scotland. Previously, the closest resource for such rescue operations was either the rope rescue unit at Lochgelly or Coastguard and Mountain Rescue assets. With the addition of the line rescue unit, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service is now able to carry out technical and difficult rescues at height throughout Scotland. Rope rescue is also essential for urban search and rescue (USAR) incidents at the likes of building collapses.

 

Altens Fire Station also has a large selection of modules for their prime mover, such as a bulk foam unit, forestry unit, and damage control unit. The bulk foam unit is one of two in Scotland, the other being based at Balmossie, Dundee. The forestry unit is a demountable flatbed pod that carries wildfire equipment and a two-person Kubota all-terrain vehicle (ATV).

 

Altens Fire Station also maintains an ex-Grampian Fire and Rescue Service command support unit, which is generally used for large-scale incidents where additional command and control support is required.