Dozens of South Yorkshire fire cadets have been honoured at a ceremony in Sheffield to mark their achievements.

More than 70 cadets, aged 13 to 17, were recognised in front of friends and family at the event at the fire service’s Handsworth training base.

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue runs seven cadet schemes- at Birley Moor, Cudworth, Edlington, Elm Lane, Lowedges, Rotherham and Stocksbridge fire stations.

Cadets train at their respective stations once a week, learning firefighting skills and techniques from specially qualified instructors. They also play a key role at community events and take part in team-building days throughout the year.

Cadets also enrol on to the Routes 4 U education package, which covers the employability skills needed to work within the health and emergency services. Young people work towards a recognised qualification at the end of a 12 month course, with certificates for successful completion of the programme handed out at last week’s event.

Station manager Spencer Rowland, said: “Our fire cadets scheme has a long and proud history. Whereas it once gave young people an insight into a career as a firefighter, it has evolved to provide a much more rounded mixture of skills and training, including community work and exercises to build personal confidence and employment skills.

“South Yorkshire has one of the most successful fire cadet schemes in the country, so it is right that we recognise the achievements of our youngsters in this way.”

One of our firefighters will be running the marathon of a lifetime, as he hits the streets for charity in memory of his teenage son.

 Nigel Clark, temporary Watch Manager at Cudworth fire station in Barnsley, will be running the 2016 London Marathon in memory of his son, Adam who died suddenly last year aged only 17.

 This will be the first marathon he has ever ran, and will be donating all proceeds to the British Heart Foundation.

 Adam was a healthy 16 year old who sadly suffered a Cardiac Arrest whilst at home in July 2014. His mum(Beth), sister(Rebecca) and Nigel gave CPR until the Paramedics arrived.

 Adam sustained a hypoxic brain injury due to lack of oxygen. He never regained consciousness and sadly passed away in February 2015.

 Nigel said: “The last 18 months have been a living nightmare for our whole family. Our son Adam was a lively and healthy 16 year old boy and we have been completely devastated by what has happened to him at such a young age. It has been just over a year since we lost him but the pain never really goes away. I hope to raise £2000 for the British Heart Foundation to go towards research to help others as that’s what Adam would have wanted.”

 Please visit his Just Giving page here<https://www.justgiving.com/nigel-clark12/> to donate, ahead of the marathon on 24 April.

Firefighters have been reunited with a horse they rescued after it became trapped in its horse box by its legs.

Central white watch returned to meet the horse, called Nimrod, and its owner after a distressing incident back in January.

Nimrod had panicked and jumped over the jockey door in his horse box into a very small space with his back legs jammed over the top of a steel bar. His owner Colleen Eccles was unable to free him so a friend at the stables called the fire service to assist.

Firefighters were able to slowly remove the bar and rescue him from his ordeal. The crew have now been back to visit Nimrod to see how he is getting on, with Colleen using the visit as a chance to thank the crew for everything they did to save her beloved horse.

Crew Manager Jo Hoare said, “It was a challenging rescue as Nimrod is a large horse and was very scared and in pain from the position he was in. The crew worked together to release the bar. Luckily it was a happy ending and it’s been great to come back and see Nimrod in more normal circumstances.”

Owner Colleen Eccles said. “I can’t thank the firefighters enough, their brave and decisive efforts saved the life of my beautiful horse. They were amazing, despite the size and upset nature of Nimrod they safely cut him out of the terrible position he had got himself into.”

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue attends dozens of animal rescues every year. These fall under the 1,500 ‘special service’ incidents South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue attends each year, including freeing people from road traffic collisions, water rescues, flooding and lift releases. That’s on top of the thousands of house, property and smaller fires it also attends each year.

Young carers in Sheffield have received vital safety advice from the fire service.

A South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue safety team delivered training at a specially arranged event at the National Emergency Services Museum.

Nine young carers from Sheffield attended the session, as part of a wider awareness event put on by Sheffield Young Carers. All the attendees were involved in looking after a family member with a physical or mental health issues, a disability or problems with substance misuse. This often includes helping with household chores, administering medication and caring for younger siblings.

Community safety co-ordinator Andy Hall, said: “These young people do an incredible job caring for loved ones, sometimes experiencing some quite complex health issues. They often exhibit a maturity beyond their years, taking on extra responsibility around the home.

“From a fire safety perspective, it’s therefore vital that we give them all the support we can to ensure they have all the knowledge they need to help prevent a fire in their home.”

Sheffield Young Carers is an independent charity that has existed in Sheffield since 1997, dedicated to supporting children and young people aged 8-25 who live in the city and provide care for one or more family members.

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