Uniformed Services students at Sutton college get a taste of careers in the fire service
Sutton ATTFE College Uniformed Services students gained a valuable insight into careers in the fire service during a visit to Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service’s (NFRS) Mansfield Fire Station and Mansfield Fire Museum.
The visit gave learners the opportunity to experience the working environment of a busy fire station, explore the skills and teamwork required by firefighters and learn more about the different routes into public service careers.
Students were welcomed by watch manager Simon Turley and his team from Green Watch before taking part in a morning of practical and informative activities.
A guided tour of the fire station saw students take a close look at the frontline rescue pump and its equipment and aerial ladder platform in use on the drill yard.
The also visited the fire protection and enforcement unit, where the role of fire safety and enforcement was explained.
The programme included a classroom-based incident exercise where students were put on the front line dealing with a mock incident at the NFRS’ incident command training suite.
The facility features simulated incident scenarios to replicate live incidents in a classroom giving flexible learning via high tech video and instruction from trainers.
Afterwards they visited Mansfield Fire Museum, to take a step back in time and see how firefighting had changed throughout the years, viewing the museums fire service memorabilia collections and old fire appliances.
Andy Gardner, Uniformed Services tutor at the college, said: “This was a fantastic opportunity for our students to see first-hand what a career in the fire service can involve.
"Experiences like this bring classroom learning to life and help learners understand the discipline, teamwork, communication and resilience needed in the uniformed services.
"We are very grateful to NFRS, Mansfield Fire Station Green Watch and Mansfield Fire Museum for giving our students such an inspiring morning.”
Louise Davy, head of programme of study at the college added: “The visit was a brilliant example of how ATTFE works with local partners to broaden students’ horizons and raise aspirations.
“Our Uniformed Services course is designed to prepare learners for the realities of public service careers, and opportunities like this help them make informed choices about their future.
"It was wonderful to see the students so engaged and enthusiastic throughout the morning.”
The college thanked NFRS, Mansfield Fire Station Green Watch, Mansfield Fire Museum and everyone involved in supporting the visit.