£1.1m for 300 new Fire Brigade cadets

THE London Fire Brigade today launched a recruitment drive for 300 cadets to help keep young people away from crime.

A £1.1 million cash injection from City Hall will create 15 new cadet units and take the number of cadets to 500 — more than double the current total.

The placements are for 11 to 17-year-olds who will learn basic fire safety, first aid and firefighting skills. They will also have the opportunity to obtain a BTEC qualification.

The Mayor’s Office said the recruitment drive was part of Sadiq Khan’s efforts to keep young people “off the streets and away from crime”, and would also help develop the “firefighters of tomorrow” as many former cadets have gone on to work for the fire service.

The LFB hopes the drive will boost the diversity of the cadet force and the service.

Dany Cotton, London Fire Brigade Commissioner, said the cadets would “challenge stereotypes”, pointing out that more than half of recruits are young women.

The commissioner, who has previously called for an end to the use of the word “fireman”, said the drive will “break down barriers further and hopefully lead to more women becoming interested in the fire service”.

Up to 750 people have graduated from the cadet scheme since it started in 2013. The new funding means there will be at least one cadet unit in every London borough.