| Youth Engagement |
South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue are engaging with young people and helping to reduce crime and antisocial behaviour in your community. Here are some of the programmes and initiatives happening across the county: LIFE (Local Intervention Fire Education) The hugely successful LIFE initiative - a five-day course for young people who have fallen foul of the law or are involved in antisocial behaviour, bullying or truancy - has already turned around the lives of many young people across South Yorkshire and won sponsorship from several local agencies. Candidates are put forward by local schools or Youth Offending Teams, before joining the course at their local fire station. The youngsters are taught basic firefighting techniques and other skills by trained firefighters, in a bid to improve their discipline, attitude and behaviour. The ‘Head-On’ project gives people aged fifteen and over, all of whom have been referred by local Youth Offending Teams, first-hand experience of the consequences of dangerous driving. The format is similar to the LIFE course but the youngsters learn how to cut casualties from crashed vehicles. The young people also learn about the potential long-term injuries and mental scars caused by road traffic collisions. As part of the ASDAN programme, weekly sessions run over seven weeks give young people a taste of life in the fire service, while encouraging them to be good citizens. SYFR’s ASDAN Module is now a nationally recognised award, and completion of the course is marked with a certificate of personal effectiveness that helps towards GCSE life skills. Participants are selected by schools, depending which pupils have the potential to benefit most from the course. RTC (Road Traffic Collision) ROADSHOW A hard-hitting presentation, featuring road crash victims and members of the emergency services, warns young people about the shocking consequences of driving dangerously. It is aimed at students aged 17-24 years, who are the most at risk from being involved in an RTC, and visits schools and colleges across South Yorkshire. A teenage girl left severely disabled after she was knocked down, and a driver sent to jail for causing a fatal crash are among those who regularly appear in the presentations. MENTORING IN SCHOOLS Firefighters spend one day a week in local schools to raise the awareness of young people about the dangers of deliberately starting fires. The mentoring scheme builds on several successful school initiatives at stations across the county, but allows youngsters to interact with firefighters while in their normal learning environment. The firefighters assist in a range of lessons including Science, Maths, Social Studies, Citizenship and PE, as well as giving presentations on fire safety. YOUNG FIREFIGHTERS ASSOCIATION Recruits can join the YFF association from the age of 13, with some even progressing to become instructors themselves. Spending one evening a week at stations across South Yorkshire, the youngsters are put through their paces by a team of dedicated instructors. Click here for more information on becoming a Young Firefighter . CRUISERS At the ‘Cruisers’ events, firefighters offer road safety advice to young drivers and demonstrate their response to road traffic collisions. Young drivers descend on Rotherham fire station in their cars to view a dramatic re-enactment of a road traffic collision rescue, watching firefighters use cutting equipment to free casualties. South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue organise the ‘Cruisers’ meets in partnership with EliteCruisers.co.uk - a networking website for young car enthusiasts. |