JOE HARKINS

Joe joined SFB in November 1979 after being a time-served carpenter in the shipyards in his native Greenock.

He has served 20 years on Green and White Watch in Paisley, 6 years on Blue Watch in Greenock and a year in Fire Prevention in Paisley.

He became a volunteer for the Fire Services National Benevolent Fund in 1994 and it was in his capacity as a home visitor for the Fund that he met retired colleagues. It was whilst helping the retired colleagues access Ben Fund facilities that Joe first identified the need for the REA.

Joe is also the Regular Giving Fundraiser (Scotland) for the Ben Fund and in this capacity he travels round the different Scottish Brigades giving Gift Aid talks and raising money for the Fund. He also travels through regularly to the Scottish Fire Service College, Gullane to give the same talk to every new entrant into the Scottish Fire Service, to ensure that every new trainee knows all about the facilities and benefits the Fund has to offer at the start of their career.

Joe is also heavily involved in the Burns world, serving on the Schools Committee of the Robert Burns World Federation Limited. He runs a Schoolchildrens competition in the Paisley area, where the winners go on to compete against teams from all over Scotland. He is a member of 3 Burns clubs and speaks at Burns Suppers all over the West of Scotland