From Surrey County Council
The latest group of new recruits have celebrated passing their training with Surrey Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) this week.
A special graduation ceremony was held on Sunday 27 September at the service’s headquarters in Reigate, with family, friends and others able to watch virtually via Surrey Fire and Rescue Service’s official Facebook page.
Firefighters demonstrated the skills they’ve learnt during their intensive residential training course by putting out a mock house fire and rescuing a casualty from the third floor using their hose running and ladder skills.
Graduates were presented with a certificate at the end of the ceremony. Firefighter Robert Little was also awarded the prestigious Silver Axe Award for Outstanding Trainee Firefighter.
Surrey’s newest firefighters will be starting their roles at various fire stations across the county this week (see below for more details). The Chief Fire Officer visited two of the new recruits on their first day as fully operational firefighters where they were also congratulated and welcomed by the rest of the crew at their fire station.
Chief Fire Officer, Steve Owen-Hughes said, “I’m delighted to welcome our new firefighters to Surrey and to have had the opportunity to celebrate their achievements, albeit in a different, virtual way. This in fact allowed us to welcome many more of their family members and friends than we could under normal circumstances, and we plan to stream more events in the future.
I am very proud of their achievements and dedication, particularly during these difficult times, and I wish them every success in their career with Surrey Fire and Rescue Service.”
Cabinet Member for Communities at Surrey County Council, Denise Turner-Stewart said, “I’d like to sincerely congratulate our new firefighters on their significant achievement in completing this challenging firefighter training. This latest training course is part of our ongoing recruitment drive for more firefighters.
We are very proud of everyone that helps to keep Surrey safe 24/7, 365 days a year, both by responding to emergencies and by helping the public to prevent emergencies from happening in the first place.”
Firefighters on on-call contracts are skilled people from all walks of life who offer daytime, evening and/or weekend cover at on-call fire stations in addition to their normal, day-to-day commitments. Just like their wholetime counterparts, they work on the front line protecting their community and are alerted by a pager when we need them. More information about current SFRS vacancies is available at http://www.surrey-fire.gov.uk.
The ceremony is available to view on Surrey Fire and Rescue Service’s Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/SurreyFRS/
Photo credit: Chris Sirett Photography
From left to right
• Firefighter Ryan Pawsey – Godalming Fire Station
• Firefighter Chris Brady – Lingfield Fire Station
• Firefighter Rob Little (holding Silver Axe award) – Lingfield Fire Station
• Firefighter Keenan Tighe – Oxted Fire Station.
• Firefighter Simon Pickford – Gomshall Fire Station
