FOR one Clydebank firefighter it has been a case of jumping out of the fire and into the frying pan.

Dad-of-six Graeme Gibb recently swapped battling blazes in the town for the blistering heat of war-torn Afghanistan where he came under enemy fire several times while stationed at a British base in Lashkar Gar, located in the deadly Helmand Province.

The 46-year-old Territorial Army (TA) member, who also works full-time at the Kilbowie Road station, was serving as part of the army's 4 Mechanised Brigade and was tasked with fixing anything from air conditioning units to large armoured vehicles.

Last week Graeme told the Post that while overseas he had experienced the highs and lows of living in a battle-zone.

He said: "It was very rewarding - at times it was very hard but I'm glad I did it. From my point of view putting my training and skills I have to good cause. I've been in the TA for 30 years so it's good to know I can still do that and keep up with the younger guys and in some cases outrun them and out soldier them.

"It was good to meet some of the Afghan people, we had some local employed contractors who were Afghan nationals who work for companies out there and once you get to know them they're not that much different from us.

"The worst thing is when you lose a comrade. We had several instances where there was incidents where people had been killed or seriously injured and it affects everyone." For the past nine years Graeme has worked as a firefighter having previously worked with the fire service repairing its vehicles.

He has also served in the TA for nearly three decades - including previous tours of Bosnia and the first Gulf War - but admits he is glad to be back on home soil.

He added: "I still enjoy them both although I think my time in the reserves is coming to an end. Partially because of my age and the length of time I've been in. They are very, very similar, the banter is the same, the black sense of humour, there's not much of a difference between the fire service and the army." Last week Joe McKay, Clydebank Station Commander, insisted it was great to have Graeme and the skills he brings to the team.

He said: "It's great having a firefighter that is also part of the UK national force. Everybody is proud of him and the fact he's over there fighting. It's obviously a very, very dangerous place so we're glad to see him back safe and well." Mark Tungatt, Graeme's watch commander, added: "He's a very diligent worker and he's very much focused and enjoys his time in the fire service. For some people are into the fire service and for some people it's their job. Graeme's at the far end of the scale, he loves the fire service and even outwith his working time he dedicates some time to the restoration of older fire engines."