The Community Fire Team began by schooling the children on all aspects of fire safety, and I am pleased and proud to say that our CCCS Pre-Prep children were veritable fountains of knowledge, answering the questions with maturity, thoughtfulness, and verve. Next, to the children’s delight, Ms Merriman was volunteered to dress up in the protective equipment that a firefighter would wear on a typical call out. She was decked out from head to toe in thick, heavy layers, with tools and torches, humungous boots, a helmet, and breathing apparatus. It is a good job that Ms Merriman is an active gym-goer, as lesser mortals may have buckled under the enormous weight!

The children were given an opportunity to explore the hidden compartments on the fire-engine and taught how the equipment was stored and employed in the field. We even had a chance to hop aboard ourselves and to experience how difficult it must be to get all the equipment on whilst travelling to a fire in such cramped conditions. We were told that they have to work very closely with colleagues to help each other to get the kit on quickly and safely so they are ready to jump out as soon as they arrive at the scene.

Firefighter Ruth then demonstrated some of the gigantic and extraordinarily heavy tools that they use for traffic fires and to gain entry to buildings, including giant ‘scissors’, and Halligan bars. The children were then given a mirth-inducing first-hand demonstration of a Large Flow Mobile Ventilation Unit. In other words, an incredibly powerful fan, used to fight large scale fires. It was touch and go whether a few of them may have been blown all the way back to school!

Last, but by no means least, we were let loose on the powerful fire hoses, with children and staff being tasked with training the jets onto a model house with flames inside. Every child had a go, and all delighted in spraying the water high into the air and creating rainbows in the water mist, with the sun beating down from above. I am in no way ashamed to admit that the adults enjoyed this task just as much as the children!

Our heartfelt thanks go out to the ‘Red Watch’ team who went above and beyond to give our children a first-rate experience at the Fire Station. We have no doubt that our Pre-Prep will take so much away from this experience, and it is humbling that the Fire Team invest so much time and effort in supporting and teaching the very youngest within the Oxford Community, and for inspiring the next generation of community heroes.