On Wednesday 27th May, East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service will host the 1st BLAZE Passing Out Ceremony at Hailsham community fire station. The ceremony will celebrate the achievements of the young people that have completed the BLAZE programme.

East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service launched BLAZE (Believe, Learn, Achieve, Zest, Explore) in February 2009 and the initiative, provides weekly education sessions with important fire and road safety messages but also covers anti-social behaviour, healthy living and coast safety.

The ceremony will consist of three sections:

• BLAZE University Quiz - participants knowledge of the ten subjects which have been covered over the course will be tested by the 'Quiz Master', East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service's Chief Fire Officer Des Prichard.
• Physical Fitness Test - participants will undergo the same physical fitness test that firefighters must pass in order to qualify for the role of a firefighter.
• Pass Out Ceremony - upon successful completion of the above, participants will collect their certificates and awards in the presence of their family and friends and the Chief Fire Officer

BLAZE works with 13-15 year old children and as acknowledgement of their hard work, the children who successfully pass will receive the Bronze Youth Achievement Award certified by UK Youth, a leading national youth work charity supporting over 750,000 young people. Featured activities included street-dance, circuit training and mountain biking alongside classroom-based activities that discussed bullying, alcohol, anti-social behaviour and healthy living. These weekly sessions will be followed by a team-building weekend.

George O'Reilly, Station Manager for Hailsham, East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service, says: "This great initiative was developed by fire crews at Hailsham community fire station in conjunction with a wide variety of statutory and local partners. It shows how the Service and our partners are using local knowledge to identify specific community needs and, more importantly, are willing to provide adequate resources to meet those needs in areas that are not just limited to our own traditional areas of expertise. This project has been a great success and with adequate funding we hope to expand the provision of this course."

The ceremony will begin at 12:30pm at Hailsham community fire station on 27th May.