NIFRS welcomes 19 new community based volunteers

by Gráinne Connolly

Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service (NIFRS) has welcomed 19 community based fire safety education Volunteers who will help deliver fire safety messages across the Cookstown, Downpatrick and Coleraine station areas. 

The new Volunteers will play a vital role in supporting NIFRS fire safety education activities to help reduce accidental house fires and therefore help reduce fire deaths and injuries.

Following a successful volunteer recruitment drive, 15 men and 4 women signed up to support NIFRS’s community engagement and prevention work, including two retired Firefighters. 

The volunteers will be taking part in a wide range of activities including providing fire safety advice at community events, doing presentations and distributing fire safety leaflets in their local communities.

Alan Walmsley, Assistant Chief Fire and Rescue Officer, Community Protection said he's delighted to have the volunteers on board: 

The Volunteers have been fully trained to deliver fire safety advice and will receive on-going support from NIFRS through local Prevention & Protection Officers at each of the 3 Station areas.

This is the first time NIFRS has used Volunteers to help support community based fire safety work and is rolling out this programme at 3 Station areas – Cookstown, Downpatrick and Coleraine.  

NIFRS intends to develop Volunteer teams at another 2 Stations in the future.  

If anyone is interested in becoming a Volunteer with NIFRS you can contact the NIFRS Volunteer Co-Ordinator at NIFRS HQ on 028 9266 4221 or email volunteer@nifrs.org  for further details.