Teens have a go at firefighting with visit to Newbury fire station

Teenagers paid a visit to Newbury fire station as part of a course aimed at giving them a taste of life as a firefighter.

Held over August, Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (RBFRS) welcomed five people aged between 17 and 18, so they could experience the variety of roles available to them.

One of the aims was to give people from minority backgrounds an insight into the service and its work, as firefighters and fire safety inspectors taught them more about their roles.

“It was a pleasure to welcome out latest cohort of interns and introduce them to the service,” said Claudia Trott, equality diversity and inclusion lead.

“They made positive contributions during their time with us and developed important professional skills that they will be able to take forward into their future careers.

As part of their visits to stations across the region, including Newbury, the interns took part in firefighting drills, worked with firefighters and joined inspectors on fire safety audits.

At the end of the programme, they made a presentation about their experience to, among others, chief fire office Wayne Bowcock.

“Now in its third year, our summer internship scheme has allowed the service to engage with young people from across Berkshire who might not have previously considered a career in the fire and rescue sector,” Ms Trott continued.

“The scheme has also taught the service valuable lessons, further broadening our understanding of how to engage with younger people and some of the diverse communities within Berkshire.

“The lessons learned from programmes such as the Summer Internship Scheme will better allow us to engage with communities across Berkshire and develop new recruitment pathways for people to join the service.”