Firefighters help Sheffield students learn discipline and rescue skills

Nine pupils from Firth Park Academy, in Shiregreen, survived a rigorous, week-long intensive training experience with South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue (SYFR) before they were celebrated for their grit and resilience at a graduation ceremony at Elm Lane Fire Station on December 13.

The secondary school originally secured a bursary from the Dark Nights Initiative led by SYFR to allow 15 of its students to join the coveted training course.

During the week they were tested both physically and mentally as a firefighter would be during their real-life training with nine making it through with the highest standards of discipline, passing with a host of achievement certificates.

Dean Jones, Principal at Firth Park Academy, part of the Academies Enterprise Trust, said: “This has been an utterly fantastic career and character-building opportunity for our students, and with more funding we’ll be able to offer this to another group of female students later in the new year. We want to inspire all of our students to lead remarkable lives.

“All of them are individuals and we hope that opportunities like this will broaden their horizons and enable to think not just of the more traditional routes.”

The students learnt a host of skills including how to do various tasks such as climbing a ladder, CPR and how to deal with a fire hose.

Steve Jones, SYFR Station Manager, said: “Within the joint community safety department, we are fully committed to making South Yorkshire safer and stronger – and improving the lives of young people is a big part of that. Our hope is that the nine students who completed the course will take forward the life skills they have learnt and use them at school, and beyond, to maximise their opportunities for success.”

Year 9 pupil Tyler Ellis said he is now thinking of becoming a firefighter in the future after completing the course.

Abdul Rahman Al Yafai, who is in Year 10, added: “My behaviour and attitude have improved, at first I kept answering back but I quickly learned that there was no getting out of the penalties for this behaviour. They also complimented my leadership skills which has given me more confidence. I can take all this back to school.”