Cookstown firefighter among most promising recruits

A Cookstown man has been named one of the North’s most promising up-and-coming firefighters, after he, along with a number of other Tyrone men and women, qualified with Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service (NIFRS) last week.

Gareth Weir from Cookstown received the Top Trainee Award after his marks proved to be unmatched by any fellow graduates in his group.

42 trainees became NIFRS’s most recent crop of full-time firefighter last week, many of who hail from towns and villages across Tyrone.

38 males and four females earned their stripes after completing the intensive course, and will now begin their careers as full-time firefighters in stations across the North, with some due to take up post in Tyrone.

The graduation ceremony was held in Belfast, where the now ranked recruits were joined by family and friends for an evening of special celebrations.

This event brought a satisfying end to their often testing trainee firefighter course, one which which helped them develop their skills in tactical firefighting, the use of breathing apparatus, and how to respond to road traffic collisions and other rescue scenarios.

As well as hands on learning, the course also taught them how to deliver fire prevention advice to the community.

Commenting on the new recruits, chairperson of NIFRS said that learning for the graduates will continue learning throughout their time in the service, much of which will take place the new £42.6 million learning and development centre just outside Cookstown.