Volunteering with Fire Cadets.

What is Fire Cadets?

Firefighters, non-operational Brigade staff and adults from communities across London volunteer their time, skills and experience to help support each Cadet, helping hundreds of young Londoners to be the best they can.

Changing lives when you volunteer with Fire Cadets – watch our video

Meet real Cadets, get an idea of what it's like, and see whether volunteering might be for you. 

5 reasons to support Fire Cadets

First and foremost, because it's really rewarding, and really good fun. But there are lots of other reasons too: 

1. Give young people the best possible start – the Fire Cadets makes an incredible difference to young lives. And that's an incredible feeling. 
2. Be part of the firefighting community – join us as a volunteer, and you join  the Brigade family, playing a real role in making London a safer place. 
3. Make new friends and amazing memories – be a part of some very unique experiences that many people can only dream of! 
4. Get ahead if you're jobhunting – if you're looking for work, volunteering experience is a great way to prove your skills, and we an act as a reference, too. 
5. Gain valuable experience – and get free training in safeguarding children, managing challenging behaviour, supervising young people in practical activities and how to assess our BTEC.

Wondering what to expect? It's all covered here... 

How often will you be expected to help?

Volunteers typically help one evening a week, which varies depending on where the course is held. Your help may also be needed for occasional weekends.

What happens at a Fire Cadets session?

The programme, which lasts 12 months, helps young people build their confidence while also learning about:

• the use of firefighting equipment and the incidents attended by London Fire Brigade.

• basic first aid and what to do in an emergency.

• fire safety in the home and the community.

• youth social action activities to make your community safer and better.

• fundraising for local, national and international charities.

• supporting London Fire Brigade at open days and events.

What will I learn as Volunteer Instructor?

In return, you have the opportunity to gain a range of transferable skills as well as having the chance to complete a number of accredited courses including:

• Drill Yard Supervision – how to safely supervise practical activities performed by the Cadets on our drill yard.

• Safeguarding Children – a bespoke course designed specifically for the emergency services, which identifies what is meant by safeguarding and child abuse, and helps you spot the signs and know how to respond.

• Managing Challenging Behaviour – identifying and making correct and consistent responses to challenging behaviours.

• Equalities and Diversity - learn how to identify and tackle unlawful discrimination in the workplace and help improve the workplace culture in which you volunteer.

What skills and experience do I need to help?

Our volunteers don't need to have experience of working with young people, just a passion for helping change a young person's life for the better. There are some practical requirements too. To join us, you'll need: 

• To be 18 or over.
• To be willing to commit to regular weeknight evenings and occasional weekends during term time.
• A desire to work with young people.

All volunteers are, of course, required to complete mandatory training including an induction into London Fire Brigade, safeguarding children, managing challenging behaviour and assessing our BTEC, as well as undergoing an enhanced DBS check.

Where can I volunteer with Fire Cadets?

We currently have active Fire Cadet units in the following Boroughs:

Bromley, Barking and Dagenham, Bexley, Brent, Croydon, Hackney, Haringey, Havering, Islington, Kensington and Chelsea, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Newham, Southwark, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest and Westminster.

We will be opening Fire Cadet units in January 2020 in the following Boroughs:

Barnet, Camden, City of London, Ealing, Greenwich, Hammersmith and Fulham, Hillingdon, Redbridge and Sutton

We will be opening Fire Cadet units in April 2020 in the following Boroughs:

Enfield, Harrow, Hounslow, Kingston, Richmond and Wandsworth

*Junior Fire Cadets is a programme in Barking and Dagenham and Bromley and will be available from early 2020.

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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.