VULNERABLE youths from Greater Dandenong got a little hot under the collar last month.
They took part in a hot fire training day at the CFA’s Bangholme College on 21 August.
CFA District 8 fire-fighters donated their time to help mentor the more than 20 students, aged 14 to 15, as they tried their hand at fighting fires and took part in realistic search and rescue drills.
The day was part of Operation New Start Casey and Operation New Start South East.
Dandenong CFA, Headspace and 14 schools run the Casey group and Dandenong High School runs the other program on a site in David Street.
Schools can refer students to take part who are aged 14 to 16, at risk of dropping out of school early or in need of extra support.
Dandenong Fire Brigade senior station officer Darren Padgett said the training day helped at-risk teenagers learn new skills and build confidence.
“We are passionate about getting involved because we don’t want to see kids on the streets or fall through the cracks at school and we want to try to keep young people out of trouble,” he said.
“We do hot fire drills with the group, including using fire extinguishers and show them how we use breathing apparatus. We even set up search and rescue drills.
“The kids get a lot out of it – I think the program starts to give them hope and shows them that they can do something really positive with their life too, if they make the right choices.
“Some of the kids have come from quite challenging backgrounds and so this is all about helping them turn their life around and getting them back on the right track.”
Hampton Park Secondary College principal David Finnerty is on the Operation New Start Casey management committee and chairs the Dandenong management committee.
“After eight weeks on the program, many of the kids come back changed people,” he said.
“I tell them it can be two steps forward and one step back, but they come back to us re-engaged and believing in themselves again.
“These are essentially good kids who, for all sorts of reasons, didn’t get the break they deserve.
“This gives them that break and provides them with critical life skills that see them through some of life’s challenges that confront them as they re-establish themselves in the community.
“They then come back to us more positive and ready to give school another go.”
