Firefighters spent an afternoon at Marlborough College last Wednesday helping Cadet Force students develop their leadership, communication and problem-solving skills.

The cadets also learned how to work better as a team with a session based on a road traffic collision in which they had to release three trapped casualties from two separate vehicles. This was followed by an obstacle course made up of ladders, pumps and hoses.

Watch Manager Simon Pearce, from Marlborough fire station, said: “This is the second year that we have worked with the cadets. The sessions have been designed to use basic firefighter skills to challenge them and get them working together.

“Although this initiative is primarily aimed at developing the cadets’ skills, there are also some strong fire and road safety messages that come through, and this can only be of benefit to the wider college community.”

Sean Bate, the college’s school staff instructor, said the experience was a fantastic opportunity: “The students have been dealing with many different and difficult problems and they were tested to the limits.”