Dorset Youngsters Taught about the Burning Issues
Monday, November 15th, 2010
Students in Dorset are to be taught about the importance of fire safety in a 20-week course run by the Dorset Fire and Rescue Service. The scheme, known as Dorset Fire Cadets 2010, will involve teenagers from Thomas Hardye School in Dorchester and Wey Valley School in Weymouth. It is aimed at teaching a cross-section of young people the essentials of fire safety, with the hope that they will then share this message with their communities.
Among the skills taught by instructors will be first aid and firefighting skills. The programme will offer participating youngsters the opportunity to not only develop team-working skills and practical safety knowledge, but also to earn a BTEC award. More than 25 young people took part in last year’s scheme, and all earned their BTEC award and are now recognised ambassadors for the Dorset Fire and Rescue Service.
According to local fire chief Darran Gunter, The purpose of the programme is to reach out to communities with their fire safety message, by teaching young people vital skills and knowledge which they can then pass on to their friends and relatives. His hope is that the scheme will be of lasting benefit to the Dorset Fire and Rescue Service, as it ultimately ‘may reduce the amount of calls we attend’.
The cadet programme also intends to give teenagers a flavour of what working in the fire service entails, so it should be of interest to teenagers contemplating a career in this field. It is open to students aged between 14 and 16, and over the 20 week course period cadets will have the opportunity to attend exciting events such as the Dorset Fire Fayre 2010 and the Fire Service’s annual award ceremony.
Don’t forget you can follow Dorset Fire and Rescue Service on Twitter at http://twitter.com/DorsetFire
