Pupils All Fired Up with Success
West Devon Borough Council have teamed up for the eighth year running with Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service in a joint project aimed to motivate young people and teach them important fire and rescue skills.
The Phoenix Project, founded by Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service, is a week-long course which shows youngsters the services that Fire and Rescue teams deliver to residents.
The course was completed at the end of February at Tavistock Fire Station and included 12 students aged between 12 and 14 years old taking part from Tavistock and Okehampton Colleges.
The students were taught important life skills such as respect, team building, first aid and trust, as well as important fire and home safety awareness.
The scheme is designed to help teenagers who may require some extra support. It aims to boost their confidence and self-esteem by encouraging them to participate in fun and challenging exercises.
Students were mentored by senior fire and rescue officers. This helps to build respect for uniformed officers and the responsibilities they hold. The enthusiastic pupils also learned how to use specialist breathing apparatus.
The week finished with an exciting ‘Passing Out’ parade, where the youngsters showed proud friends, families and teachers what they had learned throughout the course. This included demonstrations where they worked together to take part in practice sessions of hosing down a vehicle in the event of an engine fire, hosing down a building and running the hoses from the fire engine.
At the end of the drills, the Mayor presented the youngsters with certificates of achievement.Cllr Mike Davies, Mayor of West Devon, said: “This fantastic project offers pupils something different while learning key life skills in a challenging and exciting place, such as the fire station.
“They performed very well during the parade and worked brilliantly as a team to keep calm under pressure, with the added addition of a large audience.
“West Devon Borough Council are committed to working with our partners to support our communities and promote safety and community responsibility to our young people. This project provides valuable skills for our young people.”Crew Manager Josh Caunter, of Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Service, explained: "Our Phoenix courses provide a unique opportunity for young people to work with the fire and rescue service and take part in a variety of physical and mental challenges that improve their life opportunities. The team of Phoenix instructors have enjoyed working with the pupils and were impressed by their commitment to the course."
Ross Corkell, Assistant Head of Year 9, Tavistock College, said: “The pupils at Tavistock College have always benefited from the skills that are nurtured on the Phoenix project. This year is no different and the impact on these pupils as individuals is one of building a confidence to succeed and of improving their working relationship and respect of others. The college fully support this opportunity and will look to continue to do so in the future.“
Okehampton College’s Kelly Hoggins, said: “Okehampton College have had the pleasure of working alongside the Phoenix project for a few years. Each year, the students excel under their guidance. It is a joy to watch the students’ resilience, co-operation and motivation skills develop so dramatically in such a short space of time. We are very grateful for this opportunity.