SBRC appoints a new Senior Business Resilience Officer

A SCOTTISH Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) Watch Manager has been welcomed to the growing team at the Scottish Business Resilience Centre (SBRC).

With a career spanning 29 years in the SFRS, Gary Wood will be bringing a wealth of experience, both practical and operational, to his secondment as a senior business resilience officer.

Gary worked across central Scotland originally as a fire fighter but has spent the latter years of his career as Watch Manager and Fire Safety Enforcement Officer (FSEO) in Stirling.

With specialist skills in technical rescue, Gary attended as team leader of the Alloa-based Stirling and Clackmannanshire Urban Search and Rescue Team at the Clutha helicopter crash incident in Glasgow in 2013.

He is a welcome addition to the expanding team at SBRC, which recently relocated from its original headquarters in Stirling to a new, much larger, office space at the Oracle in Linlithgow.

Gary said: “Almost 30 years in the SFRS has given me a significant amount of experience that will be hugely valuable in my new public and business-facing role.

“It’s an exciting time to be joining SBRC as it continues to grow – you definitely get a sense of real enthusiasm and drive from the team here.

“There are also some interesting work streams at the moment that I’m keen to get stuck into, like the Best Bar None initiative, for example.

“Another major part of my role will be looking at community safety engagement, emphasising the importance of fire safety to our local communities as part of that all-encompassing remit of SBRC.”

In his spare time, Gary is also the lead coordinator for Biker Down Scotland in the Stirling and Clackmannanshire area – a road safety initiative run by SFRS in partnership with Police Scotland and the Scottish Ambulance Service.

Gary took the lead on bringing this initiative to his local area, driven by his own experience in road traffic collision extrication and a personal interest in motorbiking.

Lynsae Tulloch, Chief Operating Officer at SBRC said: “Gary comes with an incredible pedigree and we’re thrilled to have him on board at the Centre.

“He will be playing a vital role in continuing to develop our positive partnerships with our members as well as local communities – his previous experience as a FSEO will stand him in good stead for this aspect of the job especially.

“SFRS has always been a key supporter of SBRC and we want to encourage our members to view it as an important support tool, rather than a body that purely enforces legislation.”

SBRC was established to create a secure environment where business can trade securely, regardless of size and sector.

It works closely with partners, members and stakeholders to help make Scotland a more resilient and secure place to live and work.

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