Fire starters – help us put them out!

Have you ever set fire to something or do you know someone who has? Fire may seem like harmless fun, but before you know it your fire could lead to serious injury or loss of life, often of innocent people or even the person who lit the fire.

Fires are started in all sorts of places, like rubbish bins or skate parks, with young people believed to be responsible for around two thirds of deliberate fires that the Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) attends.

It’s vital that you know about the real dangers and life-threatening consequences of deliberate fire-setting.

Head of Community Safety Stuart Skilton said: “We want to get the message out that arson is a crime, not just harmless fun. It can be a matter of life and death. They have the potential to divert valuable firefighting resources away from other incidents such as house fires or road traffic collisions where lives may be in danger.”

Stuart continued: “Firefighters feel a great sense of satisfaction when they are able to help someone who genuinely needs them. But is a cause of great frustration that so much of our time is taken up with unnecessary and avoidable fires. We have a dedicated education team that visit young people to try and prevent arson.

Kent Fire and Rescue Service work with Kent Police to catch people who start deliberate fires and they even use trained dogs who are capable of detecting the tiniest traces of chemicals used to start a fire.

If you have any information about fire starters in your areas call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

For further information contact Kent Fire and Rescue Service on 01622 692121 or check out the website http://www.kent.fire-uk.org.

Fired up and ready to go!

It’s only a lucky few that get invited to the Westwood fire station for a guided tour, the chance to try on the uniform and use the lifesaving equipment that the Kent Fire and Rescue Service use. Those lucky few were a group of students on Thanet College’s ‘Caring for yourself and others’ course. The idea behind the course is to give an insight into what college life may be like as well as give you a taster of life in the real world of work.

Whatever the future holds, one thing’s for sure, this course gives everyone on it new friends, skills and a taste for the big wide world. To find out more call Thanet College on 01843 605049 or visit www.thanet.ac.uk