This group picture was taken after the presentation event at Princes Risborough Fire Station.

11 November 2008

Twelve pupils from Holmer Green Senior School have been presented with certificates after completing a course which involved working at a fire station for one day a week.

The boys and girls, aged 15 and 16, were taking part in the pilot of Sparx, an initiative that helps Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service engage with young people by offering them a step towards a key skill qualification.

The six-week course took place at Princes Risborough Fire Station and activities included:

• Firefighting procedure including using hoses, training and working with knots and lines
  
  
• Teambuilding and problem-solving tasks
  
  
• Fire safety awareness, including safety in the home, smoke detectors and fire escape plans
  
  
• First aid
  
  
• Road safety and water safety awareness
  
  
• Drugs and alcohol awareness
  

Sparx was devised by Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service’s youth inclusion officer, Kerry Burns, and has been designed to help raise fire safety awareness within the community.

Many of the students who will be invited to take part in future courses are following the ASDAN (Award Scheme Development and Accreditation Network) vocational course, which is run in many schools for young people who are not undertaking the whole national curriculum.

Kerry said: “To gain the qualification, the students have to put together a portfolio of work around a selected task or activity, and while they were with us they were assessed on working with others.

“At the end-of-course presentation event, the students demonstrated the skills they have learned to an invited audience of parents and teachers. They were absolutely brilliant – I was so proud of them!”

They were presented with certificates recognising the effort they put into the presentation and their attendance, progress and achievements by Assistant Chief Officer Bryan Dugdale.