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Fire cadets from across the UK have helped influence the next phase of StayWise, the National Fire Chiefs Council’s (NFCC) digital fire safety education platform, during a weekend of workshops and team-building activities in Wiltshire.
The residential event, coordinated by the NFCC Prevention Hub, brought together cadets and instructors from Merseyside, Leicestershire, Cheshire, Hampshire and Isle of Wight, Devon and Somerset, South Wales, and Northamptonshire.
Over the course of the weekend, participants collaborated on plans for a new UK Fire Cadet section of the StayWise website — a dedicated area designed to support cadets’ operational learning and personal development.
Cadets outlined the resources they want to see included, shaping a framework that will provide:
- Materials to help cadets deliver fire safety, first aid, and road and water safety education in schools, communities and at home.
- Personal development content exploring careers within and outside the fire and rescue sector.
- Guidance to support progression through cadet ranks and leadership roles.
- A dedicated instructors’ library to support training, safeguarding and leadership responsibilities.
Through workshops led by the StayWise team, cadets helped map out the structure, content and user experience of the new site section. The weekend also featured outdoor challenges and team-building activities at PGL Liddington, creating what organisers described as a productive, energising environment for co-design.
The event was funded by a recent £500,000 government grant awarded to NFCC by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). The funding aims to expand the reach of the UK Fire Cadets programme and enhance digital resources available through StayWise — work that will continue to be shaped through the UK Fire Cadet Voice Forum.
Sarah Mason, NFCC Head of Prevention, praised the cadets’ contribution. “It was fantastic to see our Fire Cadets so engaged in helping to shape their part of our StayWise website,” she said. “These young leaders are passionate, insightful and full of ideas… The whole group was incredibly supportive, creative and professional — they are a real credit to their units and their fire and rescue services.”
Insights gathered during the residential will directly influence the design and development of the new Fire Cadets area on StayWise, ensuring the platform reflects the needs and priorities of cadets and instructors nationwide.
Parents, teachers and carers are encouraged to register on the StayWise website and help promote the platform’s educational resources, designed to support safety learning for young people across the UK.
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