Pupils working towards their Duke of Edinburgh awards have started the skill section of the scheme with Hemel Hempstead fire station.
For the next three months they will be attending the Queensway station twice a week to learn the skills and to try out some of the practices the fire fighters endure.
These include hose-running, climbing a ladder to get through a window and climbing back out, and breaking a car window, cutting off a car door and rescuing a casualty. They will also learn to go into the smoke house, find a casualty using breathing apparatus and get back out of the building.
This is the fourth group that have participated in this programme, and so far the school has received positive feedback from all groups.
Duke of Edinburgh co-ordinator at Cavendish Sam Carter said: “A really big thank you goes to all the firefighters, their hard work and effort has made this project a great success, and it really does make a huge difference to the confidence and aspirations of our pupils.”
All 43 pupils on the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme have been practising their hiking on an expedition in East Sussex. The students set off on a 14 mile hike across Brighton, before pitching their own tents and cooking their own food, and hiking a further eight miles the next morning.
