Cornwall Fire & Rescue Service Newsdesk

Penzance Fire Station at 06/09/2002 12:00

Cornwall County Fire Brigade, in partnership with the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund, will be launching an exciting new scheme named ‘The Phoenix Project’ at Penzance Fire Station at 12 midday on Friday 6th September.

Teenagers who have taken part in the very first week’s course will be at the launch to receive their completion certificates and take part in the day’s festivities and celebrations.

“The Phoenix Project is a fun and exciting opportunity to work with the fire service. It gives youngsters a variety of mental and physical activities to help build team spirit, build self confidence and a sense of humour” says Station Officer Jack Aitken, who will lead the project.

The aim of the Phoenix Project is to invest in young people, using the reputation of the brigade to benefit youngsters and in turn the wider community. It is targeted towards the 13 to 17 age group as well as working with the Cornwall County Fire Brigade’s Fire Awareness Child Education (FACE) scheme.
Funding of £200,000 has been received via the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund in conjunction with Cornwall County Council. The Brigade has also entered partnerships with the Prince’s Trust, Connexions, the Local Education Authority, the Health Authority, Devon and Cornwall Constabulary, Surestart and Cornwall Social Services.

Cornwall County Fire Brigade has already started running one-week courses for children, and the first group of teenagers to have completed the course will be at the launch at Penzance Fire Station.

Also attending will be the Dreadnought Centre’s Theatre Group, who are performing a series of plays with fire safety messages, and the Pipes and Drums from Devon Fire and Rescue.

Chief Fire Officer Mick Howell says, “Connecting with young people is probably the most vital element of communicating the fire safety message. We are very proud of the Fire Cadets network which is already established, and the Phoenix Project allows us this further opportunity to involve youngsters in the Brigade’s work”

Executive Member for Public Protection Jill Ferrett adds, “The Fire Brigade is one of the County Council’s most visible and highly-regarded local services, so they are natural hosts for a project like Phoenix. The project aims to reach out to the wider community, in particular to young people who may feel excluded elsewhere.”

The project will be based at Falmouth Fire Station, and there will be training facilities in Penzance, Camborne, St Austell, Bodmin and at HMS Raleigh.

Courses will initially be held in the Kerrier and Penwith districts, with the aim of expanding throughout Cornwall.
Phoenix Project teams will also work with Cornwall’s Fire Cadets, currently at three stations in Newquay, Bude and Bodmin. Fire cadets are aged 13 to 18, meet each week and can work towards a BTEC qualification if they wish to. Eventually the Brigade intends to extend the Fire Cadet scheme to every district of the county.

Related item: http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/fire/youth/phoenix.htm