FIREFIGHTERS whose ability to lead and work together helps save lives will be passing on their skills to schoolchildren.

A Young Firefighters Cadet Unit will be launched at Wolsingham School in September and will be the first of its kind in Weardale.

The school already has an Army Cadet Unit and, last year, it became the first school in the country to set up a Police Cadet Unit.

It is hoped the new project, run in partnership with County Durham Darlington Fire and Rescue Service, will prove just as successful.

Just like the other cadet units, the young firefighters scheme is not a recruitment tool but a way of teaching children important life skills, such as teamwork, leadership and organisation.

Up to 20 places for children from all year groups are available, and the plan is for the children to train on Wednesday evenings, alongside the 60 Army cadets and 30 police cadets. The recruits will also be given their own uniforms and will go on parades.

Last week, firefighters visited the school to give children a taste of what to expect. Youngsters got the chance to handle thermal imaging equipment and could ask questions about what the role will involve.

The children were told they would need to be fit and could expect to learn varied skills, including hose and ladder operation, first aid, health and safety and many other proficiencies associated with firefighters.

Headteacher Lee Elliott said: “The aim is to give the young firefighters as real as an experience as possible of the day-to-day role of a firefighter in a safe environment.

“Young firefighters will also complete community safety projects which will improve the safety of the local community in which they live.

“The skills learnt in the young firefighters scheme will nurture not only young adults with adeptness suited for a career in the fire service but for many other careers.”

He continued: “It’s about providing an educational experience that also teaches children important life skills that will benefit them now and after they leave school.

“It’s also a way of offering pupils opportunities they may not normally have, especially as we are in quite a rural location.”