Cumbria County Council Fire and Rescue Service’s latest group of new full-time firefighter recruits have successfully graduated following 14 weeks of intensive training.
The nine-strong group of firefighters have completed their training and will now join the fire crews at their respective stations in Carlisle, Kendal, Ulverston, Whitehaven and Workington.
An official passing out parade to mark the occasion was held at Carlisle East Community Fire Station, and was attended by the firefighters’ family and friends.
Firefighters Rachael Cockelty, Holden Studholme, Thomas Fisher, Patrick McManus, Christopher Harvey, Daniel Richardson, Lucy Whelan, Nina Anderson and Daniel Shepherd were congratulated on passing their basic training course and welcomed to Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service as newly trained firefighters.
During the passing out parade, they showcased their fire and rescue skills and techniques with a series of practical demonstrations, including rescuing a casualty from a mock road traffic collision and a high rise ‘blaze’.
The passing out parade culminated with Cumbria’s newest recruits, along with firefighter Mark Teare from the Isle of Man who also completed the training programme, being presented with certificates by Cumbria County Council’s Chief Fire Officer Steve Healey.
The much coveted award for the top trainee on the course went to firefighter Daniel Shepherd, who was presented with a silver axe in recognition of his outstanding achievements.
Steve Healey said: “I’d like to warmly welcome our new recruits to the fire and rescue service family. They’ve completed a challenging and intensive training course which has given them valuable experience in practical firefighting. But there is so much more to the role of a modern firefighter than attending emergencies, and they now have the skills to work with local communities spreading the message about safety in the home and workplace. I know they have all worked exceptionally hard over the past 14 weeks and their achievements are well deserved. We wish them all the best in their future careers.”
During the intensive 14-week programme, the recruits completed training in a number of firefighting disciplines, including use of fire and rescue service equipment such as breathing apparatus and how to deal with incidents involving road traffic collisions, fires, swift water and large animal rescues, and rescues from height. They have also been trained to deliver safety and prevention work to help keep local communities safe.