Dagenham Fire Station hosted new London Mayor Boris Johnson when he met with young people taking part in a London Fire Brigade scheme designed to boost confidence and reduce anti-social behaviour.
London Fire Commissioner Ron Dobson showed the Mayor and his newly appointed Deputy Mayor for Young People, Ray Lewis, the Brigade’s Local Intervention Fire Education (LIFE) course.
The LIFE programme teaches young people between the ages of 13 and 17 firefighting skills alongside real firefighters.
Those taking part undertake a number of training exercises, including the use of breathing apparatus, casualty rescue, hose line practice and problem solving tasks. The Mayor and his Deputy saw at first hand how these activities help to improve motivation, confidence and team building skills among young people .
London Fire Commissioner Ron Dobson said: “I am immensely proud of the Brigade’s commitment to youth engagement. Since it started in 2002 the Brigade’s LIFE scheme has repeatedly shown that it has had a positive effect, not only on those taking part, but also on the communities that the Brigade serves. As well has helping to reduce anti-social behaviour, it gives young people an increased awareness of what the fire service does, a real sense of achievement and helps to develop their self esteem.”
Speaking at the event Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, added: “LIFE courses are one of the London Fire Brigades most successful youth engagement programmes and it is extremely encouraging to see for myself the enthusiasm among those involved. Research has shown that the programme has made a real difference - 80 per cent of those taking part did not offend after completing the course.
“These programmes reach out to the young people in our communities and improve motivation and confidence. LIFE has built an impressive list of achievements over the last three years with positive feedback from all quarters of the community. I look forward to assisting LIFE and similar programmes to flourish in the capital”
Note to editors:
•The London Fire Brigade runs 88 LIFE courses a year
•The LIFE scheme began in Tower Hamlets in 2002 and is designed to improve community relations and promote acceptable behaviour.
•LIFE now has nine teams across London who can take referrals from agencies working with young people from 30 of London’s boroughs.
•Following its success in the capital, London Fire Brigade staff have worked with other fire and rescue services to set up the scheme in Northern Ireland, Hampshire, East Sussex, North Yorkshire and Hertfordshire.
Members of the media can obtain further information from the press office on:
telephone number: 020 8536 5922
email: press@london-fire.gov.uk
