Meet the Barnard Castle butcher saving lives as an on-call firefighter

When Barnard Castle butcher Stuart McFarlane is not chopping up meat, he could be cutting up cars or putting out fires. That’s the double life of the dad-of-two, who as well as running McFarlane Family Butchers in the town, is also protecting the community he serves as an on-call firefighter.

Stuart joined County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service (CDDRFS) a decade ago and has worked his way up the ranks to become Crew Manager.

The 45-year-old responds to incidents from his butcher shop on Horse Market, which is less than five minutes away from Barnard Castle fire station.

Stuart said: “I feel really proud to be able to serve my community, especially when it’s helping people I know.

“I turn up to incidents and people often go, ‘oh it’s the butcher!’”

Stuart has been a butcher for 30 years and owns the Barnard Castle shop, which has had five generations at its helm since it opened in the 1800s.

However, being a firefighter was just something he only dreamed of until a newspaper advert started it all.

Stuart continued: “It is something that I always wanted to do when I was younger so when I saw an advert in the Teesdale Mercury for an on-call firefighter I popped into the fire station to see the Station Manager and had a few words with him.

“The next thing I knew I was having interviews!”

And it turned out to be a family affair for Stuart after his nephew, Adam Holmes, joined CDDFRS at the same time and became an on-call firefighter at Middleton-in-Teesdale.

Stuart is on-call at Barnard Castle fire station during the day and is also on-call at Middleton-in-Teesdale fire station each night, responding to incidents from home.

“The thing I enjoy the most about being an on-call firefighter is the people,” Stuart said.

“I love the camaraderie and the team work.

“People are surprised when they hear that I am an on-call firefighter and always ask, ‘how do you find the time?’

“It is quite time intensive, but it is not too bad once you get the initial courses out of the way.

“I would advise anybody to do it as it is a really rewarding job.”

The Service is looking for on-call firefighters for 13 of its fire stations, with a particular need at Durham, High Handenhold, Stanhope, Middleton-in-Teesdale, Barnard Castle, Crook and Sedgefield.

On-call firefighters are paid and can be anything from factory workers, cooks and farmers to carers, full-time parents or students. 

They’re going about their daily routine until the call comes and they become professional firefighters.

Applicants must live or work within five minutes of a fire station and only individuals aged 17 years and six months or older are eligible to apply.

The role is paid and successful candidates will receive intensive training before taking on the role.

On-call firefighters commit to around 60-80 hours per week and attend weekly drill nights at their assigned fire station to hone their skills.

The full list of stations and their drill nights can be found on the Service website: https://www.ddfire.gov.uk/call-firefighters-applications-now-open

Applications for the role are open now. Click here to apply.