Firefit Education Program
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Firefit is a Coalville Station fire safety initiative which commenced in May 2008, the idea was primarily formulated through my own observations as a football coach of how children’s attention can be captivated through the use of exercise. It became clear that through the use of exercise it is possible to engage children’s attention much more effectively than if they are just sat in a classroom listening. Thus I decided that by conducting various exercise phases to begin with children would be much more receptive to listening and understanding fire safety advice.
The Firefit team consists of three firefighters from Coalville, Clive Littleworth, Ian Summerfield & myself Shaun Hession. We visit local schools and plays schemes, initially we work to improve the children’s basic motor skills through fun games and simple speed agility and quickness exercises. These are all done to music which enhances the atmosphere. We then move onto colour recognition and balance activities, followed by musical statues and musical “stop, drop and roll” The children’s confidence in the Firefit team develops throughout the visit and as we progress we incorporate further fire safety messages into the activities. We discuss the role of the firefighter and the uniform that is worn, and actively encourage the children to perceive the firefighter as a positive role model and one which they feel they can approach should they need help.
Parents are invited to attend the final 30 minutes of the Firefit session in order for us to give out information packs and discuss fire safety and road safety in an informal manner. Meeting the parents also provides us with the ideal opportunity to hand out HFSC request forms and thus helps us to ensure that we can minimize fire risks in our station area.
In a six month trial period we aim to visit around 700 children within both the pre school age band and the 6-8 year old age band. We aim to actively encourage children to be aware of the dangers of fire and provide information that will help in the prevention of potential fire risks
The Firefit official launch took place at Heather Primary School on 19th June, 120 children aged 2-10yrs old enjoyed a number of activities organized by Firefit, CSST and Coalville Fire Station Personnel. With the inflatable smoke house, the mini fire engine, bouncy castle and a hot oil demo there was ample entertainment for the children, whilst still emphasizing the more serious side of fire safety and ensuring that the children understood the dangers that fire can pose. The Firefit launch was a wonderful success since then we have been inundated with requests from local schools and nurseries for the Firefit team to attend. Feedback so far has been excellent, we have received letters from Head teachers and children alike praising our work and inviting us to attend further events. Due to the success that we have had and the positive feedback, we intend to stage Firefit at larger public events and hope to convey the fire safety message to as many children as possible.
