Six pupils aged 12 and 13 from Dedworth Middle School in Windsor have successfully completed Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s (RBFRS) second FireBreak course, commissioned by the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead.
FireBreak is one of a suite of new courses for young people in Berkshire and is specifically aimed at pupils who may be struggling with issues such as low self-esteem or lack of confidence. The four-day course, which ran from Monday, 4 July – Thursday, 7 July at Langley Fire Station, combined a mix of practical drill sessions and classroom activities to help the young people develop new skills, including communication, team-working and leadership.
During the action-packed course, the young people learned squad drills, familiarised themselves with the equipment on the fire appliance, and used their skills to remove some traffic cones from the drill tower using a hose reel. They also had to work closely with their colleagues to negotiate their way effectively through a breathing apparatus maze and took part in class-based activities such as moral reasoning and communication exercises.
The final day ended on a high note, as the young people proudly showed off their new skills in front of their families and friends at a passing out parade. Paul Southern, Assistant Chief Fire Officer at RBFRS, was also in attendance to present the young people with their certificates.
Liz Warren, Risk Reduction Manager at RBFRS, said: “This is the second FireBreak course we have run with pupils from Dedworth Middle School and it has been just as successful as the previous one. The young people really immersed themselves in all of the activities and we are very proud of what they have managed to accomplish in such a short space of time.
“We are also very grateful to the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead for supporting the delivery of FireBreak and we are delighted that they have commissioned a further course, which will be delivered in October.
“Delivering FireBreak, along with our other youth schemes, such as FireFit and Young Firefighters, is just one way we are achieving our strategic commitment to contribute to a broader safety, health and wellbeing agenda by inspiring young people.”
Cllr Coppinger of The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, said: “The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead commitment to working in partnership with RBFRS on projects like FireBreak shows that emotional well-being of children and young people in the borough is an important priority with public health and to the council.”