Volunteers' Week 2024: Thanking Our Wonderful Volunteers
This week (3-9 June) is Volunteers’ Week – so a big THANK YOU to all our volunteers – both our Community Volunteers and our Cadets.
Currently, we have just over a dozen community volunteers registered and recruitment is ongoing. Some volunteers are still completing pre-start training but they’ll soon be active and joining colleagues in helping at events, supporting our home fire safety visits and collating feedback from visits.
We’ve spoken to a couple of volunteers to see what they do:
James Knight: Promoting Safety and Supporting Vulnerable Residents
Volunteer James Knight attends local events with staff, sharing safety messages and promoting our Home Fire Safety Visits. In addition, he is helping vulnerable people who are struggling to heat their home safely and don’t have internet access to find support and/or grants that are mostly online.
Speaking about his role, James said: “In between my caring duties , I love volunteering for the Fire Service as it gives me great pleasure to promote home fire safety tips and info to residents which help keep them safe within their own homes.”
Bev Campbell: Ensuring Safety and Raising Awareness
Volunteer Bev Campbell supports colleagues at events, such as a recent one in Luton for Dementia Awareness. Bev also does regular ‘walk rounds’ of a high-rise block to ensure entrances, walkways and exits are clear.
Bev said: “I like volunteering in the Service to keep everyone safe, especially in my high-rise building.
"I also like to go out with the team to meet people from different walks of life and hear their story and give them information of how important it is to have smoke alarms, etc, in their home.”
Bev (right) promoting HFSVs at eventJoin Us as a Volunteer
If you would like to volunteer with BFRS, or know someone who would, please get in touch with our Volunteer Manager by email at janet.brennan@bedsfire.gov.uk or call 07543 301604.
Thank you to all our volunteers for your dedication and hard work. Your efforts make a significant difference in our community!