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Fire Cadets is a free, nationally recognised programme that offers young people the opportunity to gain a real qualification, and develop their confidence and personal skills. It's a bit like Scouts or Guides – only you'll gain real-world skills, make lots of new friends, learn to work as a team, and have a lot of fun along the way. And yes, you do get to have a go on a fire engine...
Meet real cadets, get an idea of what it's like, and see what's in it for you!
Fire Cadets in 3 minutes – watch our video and meet current Fire Cadets.
First and foremost, because it's really good fun. But there are lots of other reasons too:
You can join from age 11 as a Junior Fire Cadet*, and there are lots of development opportunities to aspire to, including Graduate Cadets, Marine Cadets, join the Ceremonial Team, or apply to become a Fire Cadet Ambassador! Explore the Fire Cadet journey here.
Cadets attend a local fire station one evening a week, working alongside Brigade and community volunteers.
The programme, which lasts 12 months, enables you to improve your confidence through team working and group activities. You will learn about the use of firefighting equipment and the incidents attended by London Fire Brigade, and get involved in activities like:
You will also have the opportunity to gain a BTEC Level 2 Award in Fire and Rescue Services in the Community, as well as developing other transferable and practical skills that will help you with future training and employment.
There are different levels within Fire Cadets too – you can join as a Junior Fire Cadet from age 11*, and after completing your Cadet year at 14 you can develop your skills further as a Graduate Fire Cadet, get on the fireboats as a Marine Fire Cadet, represent us at VIP events as part of our Ceremonial Team, or even help to shape our programme for the future as a Fire Cadet Ambassador. It's all explained on the Fire Cadet Journey page here.
Bromley, Barking and Dagenham*, Bexley, Brent, Croydon, Hackney, Haringey, Havering, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Newham, Southwark, Tower Hamlets and Westminster.
*Junior Fire Cadets is a pilot programme in Barking and Dagenham, but we hope to expand to other boroughs soon!
Please download an application form at the bottom of this page, and email it to LFBFireCadets@london-fire.gov.uk
If you have a question or you'd like to see what our Fire Cadets are up to at the moment, find us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
Fire Cadets began in the early 1990's with two hundred units across the UK and more to come. In 2013 we were formally established as National Fire Cadets working within the framework of the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC). We are really proud to be part of a national network of young people, supported by adult volunteers, aiming to provide inclusive opportunities for young people to have fun and achieve their goals