Justice Minister attends Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service 'LIFE' Scheme at Hydebank

5.28.00pm GMT Fri 25th Jun 2010

Justice Minister David Ford

Justice Minister David Ford today congratulated a number of young offenders in completing the Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service Local Intervention Fire Education (LIFE) Scheme.

Twelve Hydebank Wood inmates took part in the week long course, which concluded with a practical demonstration and display of their newly acquired fire and rescue skills to staff and guests of the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS), the Northern Ireland Prison Service (NIPS), as well as the family and friends of the cadets involved.

Over the course of the last two years staff from Hydebank Wood and NIFRS have worked closely to successfully develop and adapt the programme for use within a custodial setting.

During the visit the Minister took the opportunity to speak to the cadets and invited guests.

Congratulating the participants he said: "This is a great opportunity for young people to gain valuable skills and confidence, which will be extremely beneficial to them in the future, and I am encouraged by the level of participation in the course.

"The objectives of the NIFRS LIFE scheme are at the heart of what the Prison Service is aiming to achieve by way of preparing inmates for release back into the community. It also gives participants an increased awareness of the work of the Fire and Rescue Service, and successful completion of the course gives them a real sense of achievement.

"May I thank and congratulate everyone involved - those that have successfully participated, and also to the Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service and prison staff who have successfully collaborated to deliver the programme."

Peter Craig, Assistant Chief Fire Officer, Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service said: "We are totally committed to working with young people to help build mutual respect and understanding between young people and the fire and rescue service. This particular LIFE scheme, working with young offenders, is part of our overall community engagement programme.

"By learning more about the work of Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service through practical skills based demonstrations and discussing the impact of deliberate fires, hoax calls and attacks on Firefighters, participants can clearly see the potential consequences of such actions.

"We are pleased to be working in conjunction with the Prison Service to deliver this scheme."