Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service welcomes 18 new firefighters after pass out ceremony in Ollerton

Nottinghamshire’s latest batch of firefighters have been welcomed to the fire service, surrounded by friends and family.

On Tuesday, August 20, 18 apprentice firefighters attended their ‘pass out’ ceremony at the Service Development Centre (SDC) in Ollerton as a celebration before they head to fire stations across the county to serve the communities of Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.

As part of the day, two groups — named ‘team blue’ and ‘team red’ — showed off a small section of some of the skills they have learnt from the gruelling 14-week course, which started in April.

The trainee firefighters were given a scenario that saw them respond to a building fire, and upon arrival, there was a casualty hanging out of the window on the third floor, with another casualty in their arms.

The firefighters had to work together effectively and efficiently to ensure the fire was extinguished and the casualties were brought to safety.

Some of the firefighters used ladders to rescue the casualties and gave them first aid, whilst others used hose reels to ensure the fire was out.

After the demonstration, a small formal ceremony was held inside the newly renovated development centre, where all trainees received a certificate presented to them by Chief Fire Officer Craig Parkin, in front of their family and friends.

Two other awards were presented to award individuals for their hard work and determination throughout the training course.

The first award presented was the Silver Axe Award, which is given to the highest achieving student on the course. These were presented to firefighter Adam Allen and firefighter Nick Malbon.

The Trainers Award, chosen by those who delivered the course, was presented to the individuals who have shown huge progression and determination throughout the past 14 weeks.

Firefighter Kyle Aitken was presented with this award for ‘team blue’ which was for his hard work and progression throughout the course, and firefighter Lucy Parkin received the award for ‘team red’, which was given for her professionalism, tenacity, and resilience throughout the course.

Station manager at the SDC, Jack Makepeace, said: “This group of trainee firefighters have worked extremely hard over the past 14 weeks. They have shown exceptional teamwork and the ability to learn effectively, with a huge amount of resilience.

“I have a huge amount of confidence in every one of them, and I know they’re going to be great as they embark on their new journey at their fire stations as firefighters in development. They have shown that they are ready to serve Nottinghamshire and be a part of this organisation.”

Chief Fire Officer Craig Parkin added: “I know firsthand how hard the training courses are, and the trainees are really put through their paces to ensure the highest of standards are met and our firefighters serving our communities are the best they can be.

“Creating safer communities doesn’t just mean responding to incidents, it means getting out within those communities and helping the vulnerable, ensuring businesses have things in place to keep others safe and training to ensure they are competent firefighters, all of this will be expected of the new recruits on this journey.

“I would also like to thank the trainers who have developed and delivered this course — I know how much work goes on behind the scenes to prepare for the courses, and their hard work doesn’t go unnoticed.

“On someone’s worse day, they need the best service which they deserve, and I truly believe our communities will get this with this group of development firefighters, so a huge well done to all of the trainees and trainers, for such a successful course and I wish them all the luck in the future.”