On 27 November, our Public Services and Sports students were put to the test by the London Fire Brigade.
Simon Williams, a firefighter from the London Fire Brigade came to talk to students about the responsibilities of the Fire Brigade, job opportunities including non-operational roles and what they do to serve the public, including their responses to emergencies and working with other emergency services.
Simon highlighted during the presentation that 8% of their time is spent attending incidents and rest of the time is spent educating the public, training and fire prevention work. He discussed job opportunities, including qualifications, health and fitness to join the Fire Brigade as well as salary scales. The cadet programme which students could join received a lot of interest from the students. Students are required to apply by September of each year and should be aged between 14 – 17 years old. On the programme they learn valuable skills for life and for work. Some of the students present are already participating on the cadet programme.
The shift system and operational opportunities was discussed during the presentation including urban search rescue, Fire investigation and regulatory fire safety.
Students were then challenged in a team building skills workshop, which encouraged students to work as a team to reach a solution. This drew participation amongst the students which enabled them to engage in discussion and share ideas and knowledge. Skills required to work within the Fire Brigade were discussed which included time management, communication skills, organising, resilience and team work amongst many others.
The Star Model was explained during the presentation which involved the situation, task, action and result. Simon answered questions from students and staff which covered a wide area of the Fire Brigade and their operations.
The visit provided students with a better understanding on how the Fire Brigade operates. Plans for a visit to the fire station is also being arranged.
