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Bognor Regis



Crawley



Haywards Heath



Lancing

Forty-one young people from West Sussex have demonstrated newly acquired skills at graduation ceremonies to mark their completion of a 10-week FireBreak course.

The FireBreak scheme is run by West Sussex County Council's Fire & Rescue Service and is supported by all agencies within Crime & Disorder Reduction Partnerships across West Sussex.

FireBreak offers young people the opportunity to take part in a learning experience outside of the school environment. Students attend a fire station for one day per week over the course of the programme, participating in a structured, disciplined programme of events, which combines practical training with classroom based workshops.

Emily King , Youth Initiatives and Schools Education Manager for West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service, explained the students are encouraged to develop personal and social skills by taking part in fire service drills, a variety of individual challenges and team building activities.

"Students are nominated to attend the FireBreak course because their schools believe they will benefit from this unique opportunity."

"A great deal of emphasis is placed on team building activities in order to develop, a sense of pride, individual confidence and self esteem. By graduating, these students have shown that they are motivated and willing to learn new skills, and the demonstration they gave at their graduation ceremony is a credit to what they have achieved." The students on FireBreak courses graduated at ceremonies held at the following fire stations

• Bognor
• Lancing
• Haywards Heath
• Crawley

Representatives from the schools, family and friends, attended the presentation to support their students and witness their achievements. The successful students are presented with a certificate of completion, and a number of them are presented with an additional award to recognise their outstanding individual progress or their contribution to the team.

Chief Fire Officer Martin Burrell said "Working in partnership with other agencies to help young people is now a core activity for the modern fire service. These students have risen to the challenge with enthusiasm and determination, and we are all extremely proud of their achievement"