This May, we are encouraging all young people, aged between 12-16 years old, to come along and have a go at being a Young Firefighter, ahead of the intake for the next course.
Young Firefighters is a 36-week course provided by Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (RBFRS), offering young people a range of valuable practical and theoretical skills to make a positive impact on their career paths.
The next intake will begin in September 2019, running from September to July following the school terms and lasts for one academic year. There are four Young Firefighters units within RBFRS based on fire stations, each run one evening a week from 7pm to 9pm. Units run on Wednesday evenings at Whitley Wood and Crowthorne and Thursday evenings at Maidenhead and Newbury.
We are holding have a go sessions for those interested in coming along to find out more. Dates are:
- Newbury Fire Station on 9 May between 7:30pm and 8:30pm.
- Whitley Wood Fire Station on 22 May between 7:30pm and 8:30pm.
- Maidenhead Fire Station on 23 May between 7:30pm and 8:30pm.
Young people must be accompanied by an adult. Places are limited and booking is essential. To register, please visit EventBrite.co.uk and search RBFRS.
Melanie Walker-O’Hare, one of our trained Young Firefighters Instructors, said: “This course has historically had great success, with this being its 20th year running. During this time, over 500 young people have taken part across Royal Berkshire. This year’s intake is aiming to continue this success.
“By learning and taking part in team building activities, the cadets develop their personal skills and qualities that can increase self-confidence and encourage positive thinking. It is hoped that these essential skills will benefit them as they move onto further education or their chosen career.”
The course will be conducted by competent instructors from RBFRS, who set cadets a range of practical and theoretical fire service activities, including hose drills, breathing apparatus procedures and fire safety awareness sessions.
For more information on the have a go sessions or about Young Firefighters in general, please email: youngfirefighters@rbfrs.co.uk or visit: rbfrs.co.uk/youngfirefighters.