The 'GMFRS' Journey

Written by Business Fire Safety Advisor Laura Broughton

It has been over a year since our journey started as apprentices for Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue Service. So much has changed and each of us have grown so much as individuals. I can proudly say myself and the other apprentices have secured ourselves jobs within the service and have started our dream careers.

 I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the members of Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue Service and The Manchester College staff for the support that they have invested in us for the past 12 months. We really couldn’t have done it without them. Thank you to you, the public, for reading about all our experiences and supporting the apprentices with your positive feedback.

 Writing the blog has been a significant part of my apprenticeship and promoting the fantastic work Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue Service do with young people like me. Behind the scenes, Chris Toon who wrote the blog last year as an apprentice and gained a full time CSA role has been my editor and my helper when I have had a case of writers block. I have also now got the pleasure of telling you that on the 9^th March, 13 young people joined us as the new apprentices of GMFRS.

Last week Chris and I met the new apprentices and introduced them to the work we have completed on the blog alongside staff from the Corporate Communications Department. It was our mission to recruit the new apprentices to take over writing for the apprentice blog with their own new experiences. We had a lot of interest and I’m very excited to read what they have been up to. 

 Ella is one of our new Community Safety Advisor Apprentices that we will be hearing from in the near future, she said;

 'When I joined the Princes Trust team, I never thought I'd end up where I have but it's the best opportunity I've been given. All hard work has paid off and I'm looking forward to starting my apprenticeship as a Community Safety Advisor'

 We will be uploading new stories to the blog on a regular basis, updating you on what the new apprentices have been up to. 

New Year, New Jobs

Since our last post, four of our apprentices have gained full time roles within Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue Service.  Sophie Williams was the first successful apprentice and she is now working as a Community Safety Advisor at Salford & Trafford. Soon after Matt Alsop, Michel Dunn and Tony Maunder received their Community Safety Advisor roles across the different boroughs in Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue Service. They are all incredibly happy and proud of what they have achieved over the last ten months and are settling into to work life in their new roles.

 “The movement from apprentice to a full time CSA with GMFRS is an incredible opportunity and very exciting. The responsibility of the role and working in a new borough is already helping me to develop even more with new experiences every day” - Michel Dunn  

Good luck and fingers crossed for the remaining apprentices, the future is bright.  

Firefighter Experience Day

Last month the apprentices at Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue Service got to experience what it would be like to be a Firefighter for a day.  We all met at the training centre on a Friday morning ready for the day ahead. We were able to have a go at cutting up a car, something which fire fighters do on a weekly basis when dealing with Road Traffic Collisions.

We were able to learn search and rescue techniques that are used by the firefighters when attending an incident. This was made even more realistic by wearing breathing apparatus to get a true understanding of how that feels when it is being worn. Whilst there, we also had a go at abseiling from a building to see how incidents are attended by our Technical Response Unit.

Fire Ground Assistant

Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue Service has around 20 apprentices working throughout the 10 boroughs. We have Business Fire Safety Advisors and Community Fire Safety Advisor Apprentices which previously we have introduced and written about what they do. 
However, we have various other apprentices;

 

My Name is Matthew Heslop and I am an Apprentice Fire Ground Assistant. I started here on the 28^th of April and am really enjoying myself. My job roles consist of organising training venues, making sure they are clean, ensuring that the cribs to simulate fires are re-stocked, making sure that the fire engines as well as equipment are in the proper working order. This ensures that the running of training is smooth and without problems. I also may be asked to demonstrate, take part and even set up the breathing apparatus.

 

Breathing Apparatus training is also given as this job requires you to complete this to carry out certain tasks. I got into this apprenticeship through the volunteer scheme and am very happy with my job.

Alcohol and Drug Awareness

Apprentices attended Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue Service’s Training and Development Centre to look at the effects of Alcohol and Drugs. The session, delivered by The Manchester College educated me and the other apprentices about the effects of Drugs and Alcohol on the body.

Throughout the session we were also educated on how to spot signs of the misuse of Alcohol and Drugs on individuals.

We also learnt about organisations that we can refer people to that may have issues in this area.  This is a key part of the Community Safety Advisor role as we work with many vulnerable people which we can help.