Aldridge Fire Cadets

Aldridge Fire Cadets is a uniformed youth group for young people both male and female aged between 11 and 16. It operates in line with the National Fire Cadet scheme however unlike all the other cadet groups within the West Midlands Fire Service, it runs short-term 26 week courses.

Exciting Activities

The courses are overseen by a dedicated group of volunteer instructors who are either serving or retired fire service personnel or enthusiastic civilian staff who have previously attended the cadet course.
The cadets engage in all manner of fire service-related activities each Thursday evening from 6.15 pm until 8.45 pm at Aldridge Community Fire Station on Northgate in Aldridge. They learn how to roll and re-roll fire hoses and use them safely; conquer any fear of heights by scaling ladders; embark on search and rescue missions through a tunnel under the station wearing breathing apparatus, master the art of knot tying to haul equipment aloft and receive First Aid instruction.

Why join us?

The activities are designed to give the young people confidence and self-esteem, teach them discipline and teamwork and develop their social skills all within a safety conscious environment. Too many young people these days spend a lot of their leisure time either cooped up in their bedrooms for hours at a time playing computer games or hanging around on street corners goading one another into carrying out anti-social activities. The Cadet course provides an opportunity for them to do something completely different and in a well-structured way.

Develop Skills

Whereas the majority of the cadet evening is based on practical activities the cadets also attend mini lecture sessions in which they are required to complete a simple workbook to demonstrate their learning and understanding of the various topics. All capabilities are catered for so that any young person who struggles with writing and spelling can express themselves in either pictorial form or by verbal answers. The successful completion of the workbook earns the young person an award at NVQ Level 2 in ‘Understanding Firefighting’ within the Open Colleges Network (OCN).
In addition to the weekly Thursday night meetings the cadets are encouraged to attend Carnivals, Fayres and Fun Days within the Community along with their youth fire engine (a decommissioned frontline appliance) and Remembrance Day Parades and other Civic functions. They also hold car washes and bag-packs within supermarkets to raise money for charities and to fund our own activities. From time to time the cadets are invited to act as casualties in Brigade Simulated Exercises – major Road Traffic Collisions, Train derailments and Chemical Decontamination which adds much realism to operational firefighters’ training.

Enjoy Expeditions

To build camaraderie still further the cadets are given the opportunity to go on a camping expedition or attend a weekend outdoor pursuit centre which for some of the younger cadets is the their very first time away from home without their parents.

The course culminates in a Passing Out Parade in front of The Mayor, Senior Brigade Dignitaries and their families and friends where they put on a big display and receive their certificates. One lucky cadet also receives an engraved trophy for being ‘Cadet of the Course’.