Over the past few weeks South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue (SYFR) has been working in partnership with Bents Green Secondary Community Special School in Sheffield, with firefighters taking classes for pupils with complex learning difficulties.

The programme, which was the first of its kind in South Yorkshire, involved three two-hour sessions with a group of ten pupils aged 13 and 14.  The firefighters taking the classes delivered safety messages in the classroom using an interactive DVD created by SYFR, called ‘Play it Safe’.

The young people also got the chance to do practical exercises with the firefighters, including hose drills.  They have all received certificates from SYFR on completing the sessions.

The firefighters aimed to educate the youngsters on how to stay safe in the home and in the community.  Young people with learning difficulties can be more at risk from accidental fires and fire-related injuries, so the sessions were specially designed to get safety messages across in a fun and easy to understand way.

Sarah Broadbent, the Disabilities Advocate for South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue who organised the sessions, said:  “It was great to see these young people really enjoying the classes.  They were all getting involved and were interacting really well, which helped them to take in these valuable safety messages.”

For further information please contact Sarah Broadbent on 0114 253 2975 or Corporate Communications on 0114 253 2351.

-ENDS-