BIB visit Fire Brigade

Our Boys in Blue recently visited their local fire station to experience a day in the life of a fire fighter. The day included learning, role play and use of the professional equipment. It was a great chance to show the boys how their local community is supported and cared for by the fire service, as well giving them an insight into what the job of a fire fighter is.

The day began with a lesson in fire safety, which was vital to their understanding of the fire service and why it is so important to our local communities. From this they were able to understand the dangers of fire, how to look after themselves if they are ever caught in a fire and who to call if they require assistance. This was a great session and the boys even commented how they were going to share the information with their friends to make sure they were safe too.

They were then given a tour of a typical fire engine and learnt all about the equipment on board, including the chance to learn how to attach the hose pipe and then use it. The boys found this very hard work as the water was so powerful but after a bit of practice, they got the hang of it and were so thrilled to be able to use it. They also got the chance to try on a whole fire fighter suit including the breathing equipment, which they said was much heavier than they thought it would be.

They were even given access to drive two of the fire trucks around Middlesbrough town centre, with licensed fire fighters behind the wheel of course, which was so exciting for the boys. They felt so privileged to be able to do this and loved every minute!

The day was topped off with face painting and an arts and crafts session, once they returned to Community Ventures, along with takeaway pizza.

This was such a special event for the boys, it opened their eyes to the ways they can feel part of their community and feel safe within it too. A huge thank you to the Police and Crime Commissioner’s new Serious Violence Fund and Cleveland Fire Brigade’s Arson Reduction Fund, who both fund this project, along with Youth Focus North East who support us to run the sessions. If you’d like to join the sessions, they run every Thursday at 3:30pm to 4:30pm for boys aged 10 to 14 years old. For more information give us a call on 01642 989254.