Youngsters get a hands-on experience of firefighting

They paid a visit to Tyne and Wear Fire & Rescue Service headquarters in Washington to learn how it keeps our communities safe.

They donned fire kit and watched various demonstrations by firefighters at the service’s training centre.

This included extinguishing a large fire, incident command, and how victims of road traffic collisions are cut from vehicles.

The UK Youth Parliament is an issue-based, non-political organisation, which aims to give young people a voice which will be heard by local, regional and national government.

Aida Habte, 15, from Washington, said: “The car cutting demonstration was particularly interesting. I didn’t realise that firefighters dealt with car crashes like that.”

Kieran Archer, 16, from Backworth, North Tyneside, said: “I was surprised to find out how much co-operation there is between the fire service and other agencies.”

Assistant Chief Fire Officer Nina Griffiths said: “As a service we regularly receive visits from high-profile local and national dignitaries.

“This visit from the UK Youth Parliament in the North East is an important part of our ongoing community engagement, helping to ensure we constantly review our services to meet local needs.

“It is great to see young people from our area participating in local issues and demonstrating a passion to learn more about matters that affect their communities.”