BinDayBuddy home

Draft storyAt T Stephens and the fire station

The other uniform

A shop and a fire station: everyone in town has their own job.

A draft: the words and pictures are waiting for an educator’s review.

Who’s in it

Meet everyone in Gullbrae

The story

In the shop, Thomas hands his folded green apron to Mairi. A navy bag sits by his feet.

Thomas took off his shop apron and handed it to Mairi. It was time for his other job, at the fire station.

Eddie stands at the counter while Mairi weighs a basket of carrots. Thomas’s apron is folded on a shelf.

Eddie popped in and found Mairi behind the counter. So who was running the shop now?

Eddie: “Aye, let’s ask the person who actually runs the place.”

Mairi tops up a crate of carrots while Eddie holds a smaller crate for her.

Mairi explained that she and Thomas had agreed it: she looks after the shop while he is at the station.

Outside the fire station, Eddie stands on the public side of a closed barrier. Thomas, in navy workwear, stands on the other side, with the fire engine parked behind him.

At the fire station, Eddie stayed on the visitors’ side of the barrier. The other side is for the station crew.

Thomas checks a closed case behind the barrier while Mairi waits on the public side holding a green crate of produce.

Thomas got on with his station work, and Mairi had finished her shop job too.

Eddie and Mairi stand on the public side and Eddie thanks them both, with Thomas behind the closed gate and the fire engine parked.

Eddie thanked them both: one looking after the shop, one at the station, each doing their own job.

Draft, 20 October 2026. The words and pictures are not yet reviewed by an educator. The story follows the outline in our story guide.

The real-life bit

Lots of people help a town in different ways. If you visit a fire station, stay where visitors are allowed and do what the crew ask. Children never join in with emergency work. Gullbrae is made up. Your council’s own rules are the ones to follow.

ThomasMeet Thomas: the greengrocer at T Stephens Check your own bin dayEnter your postcode All 81 storiesThe full story guide