Alice Evans, My week at the fire service

My name is Alice Evans and this is the diary of my work experience week at Fire Service and Rescue Headquarters (HQ) in Stone. I go to Blessed William Howard High School and I'm in year 10. I chose to do my work experience here because there are loads of different things going on all the time, so it is interesting as there is a change of scene. This picture of me is in the AV (audio visual) room where they make the pictures, videos and IDs for people at HQ.
Week 1
Monday	Wednesday
The first day of my work experience, at fire Service Headquarters and I worked in the AV department (audio visual) with Judith Russell who is the Technician for the AV department. We went out and took pictures where some of the new recruits were doing a training exercise with the hoses on a pump rescue ladder (PRL) fire engine. In the afternoon I went down to the training block where there were some new recruits who needed IDs made for them to use at HQ which Jude and I made in the AV room on the software in there. I also made an ID card for me but filled it in so that it said “Work Experience” instead of the recruit number.	I was in the Control room today where they take the 999 calls and distribute fire engines to the incident, from stations nearest to where the person at the incident, is calling. I worked with four people, Jo, Liz, Dawn and Andrew and Liz and Jo showed me how they take the calls and what they do in between calls. Liz and I recorded a fabricated phone call as if there was a real fire in Blessed William Howard High School and they had to send out a fire engine to the “incident” where there was a chip pan fire in the kitchen in the canteen. I found this area really interesting as the people who call in, are real, and really in trouble.
Tuesday	Thursday
An instructor from the Staffordshire Fire Service came in today to do a fire extinguisher course for the employees, which I went on. He did a presentation in the conference room with an over-head projector and white board, which introduced us to the different types of fires in the home and in the work place, and the different types of fire extinguishers: water, foam, carbon dioxide gas, and dry powder. I used the carbon dioxide extinguisher on a small fire and I will get a certificate to go on my CV.	On Thursday I was with the press officer Paul McCaffery and he helped me plan the interview which I was to do later that day with Dave Plant who designs Fire engines. When I did the interview with Dave, it was just after he had finished doing his presentation for the fire service procurement accusation FSPA, and I took some pictures of him and his presentation and then wrote up an article about him and his new design of fire engine.

Week 2
Monday	Tuesday
Monday i was in reception doing basic typing and filing work and working on the webpage with Olie. Although today wasn't as active as last week i learnt about what goes on behind the scenes at the Fire service as people in reception look after post, photocopying/fax and switchboard.	Tuesday i was in the Mapping and Intelligence Bureau where they can produce statistical maps of fires / rta's in the staffordshire area. I was doing basic computer work and looking at files of previous incidents, I was working with David Askey who showed me programs on the computer that have detailed maps of everywhere in the uk.
Wednesday
Wednesday was my last day and I was in DPU and A/V wrapping up the loose ends and finishing this webpage. This week has been a learning experience and has opened my eyes to the difference of a working environment and school. I have enjoyed working at the Fire service and would recommend it to anyone else.

My name is Alice Evans and this is the diary of my work experience week at Fire Service and Rescue Headquarters (HQ) in Stone. I go to Blessed William Howard High School and I'm in year 10. I chose to do my work experience here because there are loads of different things going on all the time, so it is interesting as there is a change of scene.

This picture of me is in the AV (audio visual) room where they make the pictures, videos and IDs for people at HQ.

Week 1

Monday

Wednesday

The first day of my work experience, at fire Service Headquarters and I worked in the AV department (audio visual) with Judith Russell who is the Technician for the AV department. We went out and took pictures where some of the new recruits were doing a training exercise with the hoses on a pump rescue ladder (PRL) fire engine.

In the afternoon I went down to the training block where there were some new recruits who needed IDs made for them to use at HQ which Jude and I made in the AV room on the software in there.

I also made an ID card for me but filled it in so that it said “Work Experience” instead of the recruit number.

I was in the Control room today where they take the 999 calls and distribute fire engines to the incident, from stations nearest to where the person at the incident, is calling.

I worked with four people, Jo, Liz, Dawn and Andrew and Liz and Jo showed me how they take the calls and what they do in between calls.

Liz and I recorded a fabricated phone call as if there was a real fire in Blessed William Howard High School and they had to send out a fire engine to the “incident” where there was a chip pan fire in the kitchen in the canteen. I found this area really interesting as the people who call in, are real, and really in trouble.

Tuesday

Thursday

An instructor from the Staffordshire Fire Service came in today to do a fire extinguisher course for the employees, which I went on.

He did a presentation in the conference room with an over-head projector and white board, which introduced us to the different types of fires in the home and in the work place, and the different types of fire extinguishers: water, foam, carbon dioxide gas, and dry powder.

I used the carbon dioxide extinguisher on a small fire and I will get a certificate to go on my CV.

On Thursday I was with the press officer Paul McCaffery and he helped me plan the interview which I was to do later that day with Dave Plant who designs Fire engines.

When I did the interview with Dave, it was just after he had finished doing his presentation for the fire service procurement accusation FSPA, and I took some pictures of him and his presentation and then wrote up an article about him and his new design of fire engine.

Week 2

Monday

Tuesday

Monday i was in reception doing basic typing and filing work and working on the webpage with Olie. Although today wasn't as active as last week i learnt about what goes on behind the scenes at the Fire service as people in reception look after post, photocopying/fax and switchboard.

Tuesday i was in the Mapping and Intelligence Bureau where they can produce statistical maps of fires / rta's in the staffordshire area. I was doing basic computer work and looking at files of previous incidents, I was working with David Askey who showed me programs on the computer that have detailed maps of everywhere in the uk.

Wednesday

Wednesday was my last day and I was in DPU and A/V wrapping up the loose ends and finishing this webpage.

This week has been a learning experience and has opened my eyes to the difference of a working environment and school. I have enjoyed working at the Fire service and would recommend it to anyone else.