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East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service
Achieving safer and more sustainable communities
Community Safety
- LIFE COurse Planner 2012-13 [pdf, 32K, opens in new tab]
- Referral form [pdf, 1.1M, opens in new tab]
- Promotional booklet [pdf, 14M, opens in new tab]
- Partner participation
Contact details
To discuss the LIFE project or to refer a young person contact us:
- By email : life@esfrs.org
- Telephone:01323 462813
- LIFE Project Co-ordinator
- East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service Headquarters
- 20 Upperton Road
- Eastbourne
- East Sussex
- BN21 1EU
The LIFE Project
Improving life chances for young people.
In 2005 we introduced the LIFE project (Local Intervention Fire Education). The project aims to work with those young people who are struggling at school, at home, in the community, those that just need some time out to get their lives back together or any young person who would benefit from a week with us.
The course is designed specifically to challenge young people aged 13-17 who may benefit from a week within a uniformed and disciplined environment.
We hope that it will help to reduce call-outs, fire deaths and injuries and also improve the safety of fire crews and the communities they serve.
We want to work toward better outcomes for young people, helping them stay healthy and safe, to enjoy life and achieve their potential.
This news report about the LIFE course appeared on BBC South Today on Wednesday 30 May 2012.
During the intensive five day course the young people take part in:
- Rescue techniques
- Using breathing apparatus
- Learning how to evacuate a building in the event of fire
- Using fire-fighting equipment
- Running out hoses
- Maintaining the fire engines and equipment.
- Team building skills
- First Aid
- Consequences sessions
The LIFE project also provides an opportunity for us to engage with local young people within their local communities.
The consequences session uses uncut footage of fire and road incidents, giving the young people the opportunity to examine and discuss the unpleasant results of antisocial behaviour, highlighting the cost to the community, emergency services, the young people and their families.
By the end of the week all young people have:
- Raised self-esteem
- Raised self-value
- Raised self-confidence
- Raised self-motivation
- Raised self-respect and
- Consequently gained self-empowerment
All young people overcome personal challenges and achieve many goals, they learn about:
- How to work as a member of a team
- How to improve communication skills
- How to support each other
- How to give and receiving of orders
- Health and safety
- Respect and self-discipline
All important skills required in the workplace.
This cannot be achieved by one agency working alone; it requires the involvement of:
- Statutory organisations
- Voluntary agencies
- Residents' groups
- Community leaders
- Business leaders and
- Individual members of the community
By working together to develop and implement local solutions to local problems in a co-ordinated approach we will create safer and more sustainable communities.