Fake fireman drove Red Cross car to blaze

FIRE bosses said today they had "tightened up" procedures for gaining access to vehicles after a teenager pretending to be a firefighter was handed a set of keys and allowed to drive his way to the frontline of a major blaze.

Christopher Gleeson, 18, wandered into Tollcross Fire Station and claimed that he worked for the fire service in Strathclyde.

When the alarm was raised for a major incident near Easter Road Stadium, he was given the keys to a Red Cross vehicle and drove himself to the scene.

He was later arrested when firefighters became suspicious when he offered to go and get them food during the fire, which destroyed flats under construction at Hawkhill Close of him.

Gleeson, who is said to be "infatuated with the fire service", was fined £375 for breach of the peace at the city's sheriff court yesterday.

One firefighter today said there had been little action to improve security since the incident was exposed in the Evening News. He said: "Nothing has come from management and they've never said to us that they'll change procedures."

The Fire Brigade Union also said it was not aware of any new directives or procedures being passed on to staff, but the fire service insisted it had worked with the Red Cross to improve procedures.

Speaking outside court, Gleeson, from Glasgow, said: "This was just a big misunderstanding. I went into the fire station to see if I could help. I spent a couple of hours at the station then helped lots of people at the fire – what's wrong with that?"

Fiscal depute Malcolm Stewart described the incident as "a rather odd case" which began with Gleeson turning up at the fire station on April 5 with identification and volunteering his first aid skills.

"He was obviously credible to the extent that he was given the keys for a Red Cross vehicle and as it happened an incident did take place.

"Mr Gleeson got into a car with emergency signage and blue lights and drove to this incident.

"It was obvious to members of the fire service there that he should not have been in attendance."

A spokeswoman for Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue said: "We have tightened up our procedures in conjunction with the Red Cross to prevent an incident like this happening again."