A blazing row over beards has left a Shetland island without its fire
crew. The Isle of Bressay has lost its fire crew because two members
refuse to shave off their beards ahead of the annual Viking fire
festival
Up Helly Aa.
The island with 360 residents has been without fire cover since November
because the two men's beards prevent them from wearing breathing
apparatus in an emergency. Fire crews from Lerwick will be ferried
across the harbor should a fire break out on Bressay, while officers
from the town have been handing out fire prevention advice to the
island's residents.
The Vikings' stubbornness has been condemned by
Shetland community safety board vice chairman Allison Duncan, who has
been trying without success to persuade the pair to lose their facial
hair. “To know that a couple of firefighters are putting the safety of
Bressay people at risk is absolutely crazy, it's mind boggling,” he
said.
“There's elderly, frail people, there could be a car accident, there was
a fire at the back end of Bressay. I've done my utmost to get them to
see sense and get the appliance back on the run in the interests of the
Bressay people.” Duncan confirmed that disciplinary action against two
unnamed firefighters has been initiated. Guizer Jarl Lyle Tulloch who
will lead this year’s fire festival said he did not want to comment.
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