Public Service students from Loughborough College spent a week with fire crews to get an insight into the life of firefighters.
It was part of a ground-breaking collaboration between the college and Leicestershire Fire & Rescue Service (LFRS) to give students unique exposure to various scenarios and the use of firefighting and rescue equipment.
They experienced moving with equipment in confined spaces and in complete darkness and watched a simulated house fire which brought home the tough and dangerous work firefighters have to do.
Public Services student Abbie Dunn, 18, of Thurmaston, said: “I thoroughly enjoyed my week with the Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service. I learned and experienced what it’s really like to be a part of such an important service. My time with the service was amazing and they were all very friendly and helpful. I found the equipment very interesting – but very heavy. In the future, I’m hoping for a career within this service so this was a great experience for me.”
Fellow student Charlie Simms, 17, of Birstall, said: “It was a really good opportunity to go and learn about the fire service in a lot more depth. One of the things that I really enjoyed was going on the high ladders - they went up to 30 meters. This opportunity has confirmed that this is the career I would like to pursue.”
And Will Goodey, 18, of Birstall, said: “It was an exciting, once in a lifetime experience. I learnt so much about a future career I’m interested in. All the firefighters were so friendly and gave us so much information which gave us a realistic view into firefighting. Seeing training in action and all the equipment and vehicles used by the fire and rescue was extremely fascinating.”
Nigel Wright, a lecturer in Public Services at Loughborough College and a former Watch Manager in LFRS, said: “This event was an ideal opportunity for those students interested in a career as a firefighter to gain valuable insight into the role they serve within the community, chat to serving members of the services and get hands on experience with a few items of equipment.
“This one-week work experience can hopefully help them with deciding about any future career decisions regarding Leicestershire Fire & Rescue Service.
“To emphasise how fit firefighter’s need to be, the LFRS fitness coach provided invaluable advice on fitness training for the role of a firefighter and the students were given a fire fit training session on a chilly Thursday morning.
“To conclude a great week, Birstall fire station hosted the students with a tour of their fire station looking at the equipment they use. This was finished off with a great opportunity to sample the dizzy heights of the 30 metre Aerial Ladder Platform!”