Young people celebrate fire course success

Young firefighters are celebrating after passing a course aimed at giving them skills for life.

The 30 young people, aged 15 and 16, have spent the last two years working towards their Level 2 BTEC Certificate in Fire Safety in the Community. The groups were put through their paces at Wakefield and Castleford fire stations with a range of practical scenarios which develop essential life skills such as team work, communication skills and resilience.

They demonstrated their skills and performed complex drill sequences in front of family and friends before being presented with their certificates from Chief Fire Officer John Roberts at a passing out parade at Wakefield Fire Station earlier this week.

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Dave Walton, deputy chief fire officer, said: “It’s all too easy to underestimate the amount of dedication and hard work that goes into achieving this award when you see how effortlessly the skills are demonstrated on occasions like these. I’m really proud of all the young people involved and hope that their work with West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service inspires them to be fabulous in everything that they do.”

The scheme, by West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s Youth Intervention Team, sees local schools select young people who will benefit from developing skills in such a challenging environment by learning about aspects of the fire service and the community. It is aimed at giving them life skills, offering opportunities to learn in a different setting and helping students to focus more when they are back in the school environment.

Jo Hardy, youth intervention team manager, said: “We were all extremely proud of the achievements of the young people, especially the professional standard that they demonstrated last night. We wish them the best of luck and we will miss them - Wakefield and Castleford station will be a lot quieter next week.”