POLICY & PRACTICE: Briefing - Firefighters benefit from youth work

Firefighters doing youth work? Does the union know about this? Solidarity with the brothers and sisters of the Fire Brigades Union was much in evidence at the Community and Youth Workers' Union conference this April. As were parallels with the metaphoric "putting out fires" role that youth workers often find themselves involved in. So maybe it's a more natural linkage than at first sight.

So what's behind this then? The Government has plans for the Fire Service in a white paper, parts of which everyone welcomes, parts of which contributed to the complexity of the recent industrial dispute. Our concern here is with the shift of emphasis in the service, now to be known as the Fire and Rescue Service, towards prevention. Just as in crime, young people are in a high-risk group, both as victims and perpetrators of fire. In the past decade, more than 700 children and young people have died in fires. So it makes sense for the service to develop effective programmes for fire safety with young people. Fire safety minister Phil Hope has launched this new report.