People looking to help their communities by volunteering are encouraged to become community champions with Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS).
The champions project has been going for a number of years, with people volunteering their time all around the county to promote various safety tips.
Local initiatives and campaigns
CFRS is looking for more people to join the team of community champions across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.
They make a huge contribution to the Service and help work towards the vision for a safe community
As part of their voluntary activities, community champions support and participate in local initiatives and campaigns, helping to spread the word to local communities about keeping safe. They make a huge contribution to the Service and help work towards the vision for a safe community where there are no preventable deaths or injuries in fires or other emergencies.
Electrical appliance safety
Champions cover everything from fire safety in the home, to road and water safety, including:
- Attending local events – Representing CFRS at events, such as school fetes, school presentations and community festivals.
- Community fire station open days – Helping out at events and sharing safety advice.
- Fire station car washes – Helping out and sharing safety advice.
- Community fire safety campaigns – Targeted activities to coincide with safety themes, such as electrical appliance safety and cooking safety.
- Taking part in large-scale joint training exercises - Volunteers can act as injured casualties/concerned bystanders, helping to make training scenarios as realistic as possible.
- Community consultation - Taking part in focus groups during consultation with communities.
People from diverse backgrounds
Community champions receive training as part of the role to help develop their skills. The opportunity also gives volunteers the opportunity to enhance their CVs, make new friends and improve their knowledge of the work undertaken by CFRS. No previous qualifications or specific skills are needed to become a community champion and CFRS is always seeking people from diverse backgrounds.
Wendy Coleman, Head of Safeguarding for CFRS, commented: “Community Champions play a such big role in helping to keep our communities safe and raising awareness of fire and road safety in the community. “It’s a really rewarding role, and one that people can give as much or as little time as they can. We hope to welcome even more volunteers to join the team this year and encourage anyone who’s interested to get in touch.”