Pupils learn dangers of fire

PUPILS at Roman Way First School in Royston have been dialling 999 – but it was all part of a safety day organised by Royston firefighters. Please Sir - Safety in Royston - is in its ninth year and sees firefighters visiting schools in Royston and Buntin

PUPILS at Roman Way First School in Royston have been dialling 999 - but it was all part of a safety day organised by Royston firefighters.

Please Sir - Safety in Royston - is in its ninth year and sees firefighters visiting schools in Royston and Buntingford to show children the dangers of.

Rad Bristow, the Royston station commander, said: "This is the first time I have seen the safety day in action.

"I am really impressed with the work of the crews, but also how good the children are.

"It is important for us to get out into the community. It gives us the chance to educate the children at a really young age and re-learning.

A number of real-life scenarios were set up for the pupils from Year 3 and Year 4.

These included how to make a 999 call.

Firefighter Dave Rees explained the dangers of playing with matches or lighters.

The children were also asked to devise their own fire plan detailing how they would escape form a specific fire situation.

Watch manager and organiser of the fire safety week, Mel Usher, said: "We are not getting the amount of false calls that we used to because the children are realising the consequences from an early age about the dangers of fire.

"The scenarios we use change over the years to incorporate what the schools, children and fire service want.

He added: "We've had situations where children have rung us up and knew what to do because they had been at one of our talks."

N For a free safety check from the fire service, call 08005873347.