PICTURES: Inverness firefighters host a day to remember for kids

A visit to Inverness fire station has helped boost the confidence of children with additional support needs.

This Is Me Highland, a charity helping both children living with a range of neurological conditions and their families, took part in the visit organised by the Safe, Strong and Free child protection project.

Explaining the need for the visit, project co-ordinator Kerry Glen said: “We put a lot of emphasis on children identifying trusted grown-ups, and the visit to the fire station was to help these youngsters identify firefighters in the community and not be scared if they were to find themselves in a distressing situation.”

This Is Me Highland committee member Lindsay Fulton said: “The firefighters were very hands-on and not scared to communicate and demonstrate to the children the vital work they do on a daily basis, plus they made each child and parent feel very welcome.

“There were lots of laughs and big smiles from the children.

“Children with additional support needs are not aware of danger. For example, their home may be on fire, but to them all that matters is that their favourite possession is still in that house and they will go back in, not realising the risks involved.

“Firefighters dressed in their full apparatus can also be a very scary thing for a child with additional support needs and they may not recognise that this person is there to help them.

“The workshop was a great way to get important messages across. The children had a chance to see all the equipment, have a go with the hose and even get into a fire engine and test out the controls.

“They were in their element and hopefully learned an important lesson that will keep them safe.”

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