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Evaluation of the Pilot Programme

“Partnership Working: Fire-fighters in

Schools”

Parklands High School, Speke, Merseyside

Fire-fighter placed at the school: Steve Atkinson

Independent evaluation commissioned by Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service

Evaluated by:

Natalia Wentink

The Centre for Investigative Psychology

School of Psychology

The University of Liverpool

May 2005

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Section One:

Management Summary

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List of Figures

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Section Two: Purpose of the Evaluation

Aims

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Section Three: Background Information

The programme

Link with corporate aims

Structure of the programme

Resources

Duration

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Section Four: Description of the Evaluation Study

10

Section 5: Results and Discussion

Summary of antisocial behaviour at Parklands

Identification of the most effective fire-service related activities

Identification of partnerships that need to be fostered

Identification of age groups most influenced by the programme

Identification of target groups for future programmes

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18

22

23

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Section 6: Summary and Recommendations

Summary

Recommendations

Recommendations for future research

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Acknowledgements

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Appendix 1

Phase 1 questionnaire

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Appendix 2


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Appendix 3

Card sorting task instructions

Card sorting task list of antisocial behaviours

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Section One: Management Summary

In response to a request from the Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service a 3 month evaluation was

conducted on the pilot programme “Partnership Working, Fire-fighters in Schools” based at Parklands

High School in Merseyside. This programme is the first of its kind and places a fire-fighter in a school

one day a week with the aim of breaking down boundaries between fire-fighters and youth, reducing

levels of fire-related anti-social behaviour, and providing fire education. Incident data from the Fire

Service was not used in this study as comparison over a 3 month period would not be reliable. It would

be unclear as to the origin of any changes in incident occurrence. The evaluation consisted of

interviews with relevant adults in the school, observation and participation in fire-related activities,

questionnaires and a card sorting activity used to talk about anti-social behaviour with students. The

role of the fire-fire-fighter was also considered.

The evaluation led to the following conclusions:

Both the school and students recognise anti-social behaviour is a problem with students both

in and out of school. Some students report having been involved in fire-related anti-social

behaviour which makes this school an ideal setting for the programme “Partnership working:

fire-fighters in school”.

Classroom based presentations/demonstration and visits to the local fire station and the

training school are most beneficial. This appears to be due to the increased contact between

the fire-fighter(s) and the youths. Presentations with larger groups present a higher risk of

being repeatedly disrupted by some students and students are less likely to participate in any

activity, possibly due to shyness in large groups. .

The use of fire-related activities as a “reward” for good behaviour in the school has been

effective with some students who have been particularly difficult in the past.

Years 7 and 8 demonstrated particular interest and enthusiasm in the programme. Some of the

older youths were interested in the fire service as a careers option.

The fire-fighter placed in the school, Steve Atkinson, has been a large part of putting the Fire

Service aims into action. He was given flexibility in organising this programme as he felt

suitable and has become very well-liked, respect, and popular with the youths.

It is therefore recommended:

1. Continual emphasis on getting students to think through the possible consequences of their

behaviour regardless of whether is legally punishable or not.

2. Emphasis on smaller group activities to allow for maximum amount communication between

the fire-fighter and youths, and encourage the breaking down of barriers between the fire-

fighter and youths.

3. Focus on the younger age groups (Year 7 and 8) in the school may increase the impact of the

programmes aims

4. Fire-fighters placed in other schools establish and maintain contact with a school safety officer

and with local police to identify youths who may benefit from the programme.

5. Careful selection of fire-fighters to be placed in the school focusing on individual initiative,

the ability to relate well to youths and to educate youths in participatory way rather than

“talking at” youths.

Recommendations for further research:

Examination and comparison of recorded data held by Merseyside Fire & Rescue

Service taking into account the nature and frequency of fire-related anti-social behaviour the

year prior to the start-up of this programme and one year after.

Cont.

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For expansion of the programme to additional schools: examination of the geographical

location of attacks on fire-fighters and targeting schools in areas identified as “hot spots” for

these incidents.

Long-term benefits of this programme need to be evaluated to address the following

questions:

1. Does this programme need to be a permanent fixture in the school for the positive effects

to continue?

2. Or is fire-fighter in the school for a fixed term of a few months per year sufficient to

change this culture of anti-social behaviour and break down boundaries between youths

and the fire-fighter?

Explore the influence of positive peer pressure on attitudes towards fire-fighters and any links

to the reduction in incidents of fire related anti-social behaviour.

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List of figures

Figure 1. Attitudes towards anti-social behaviour: violence 15

Figure 2. Attitudes towards anti-social behaviour: verbal abuse 15

Figure 3. Attitudes towards anti-social behaviour (Deception) 16

Figure 4: Attitudes towards anti-social behaviour (Theft) 16

Figure 5. Fire-related anti-social behaviour 17

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Section Two: Purpose of Evaluation

Merseyside Fire & Rescue service requested an independent evaluation of the pilot

programme “Partnership Working: fire-fighters in schools” (IMRP Action Points

6/11). This programme takes place at Parklands High School, Speke, Merseyside.

The 3 month evaluation focuses on the following issues listed below:

Summary of types of anti-social behaviour amongst students at the school

Identification of the most effective fire service-related activities

Identification of any partnerships which need to be fostered

Identification of age groups most influenced by the programme and why


These issues were translated into the following questions the evaluator applied to the

pilot programme:

What is the nature of anti-social behaviour amongst students? (specifically

fire-related behaviour)

Which fire service-related activities are most effective in breaking down

barriers between youths and the fire service? Which activities are most likely

to reduce the levels of fire-related anti-social behaviour?

Are there additional partnerships which need to be fostered?

Which age groups are most influenced by the programme and why?

Which age groups should be the focus for future fire-service

intervention/engagement programmes?

The Fire Service requested this evaluation with a view towards expanding the

programme into five additional schools taking into consideration the findings from

this evaluation.

This evaluation was funded by Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service at a total cost of

£2000.

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Section Three: Background information

The programme

Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service is running a pilot initiative at Parklands High

School, Merseyside. The pilot places a fire-fighter in the school for one day a week.

The main role of this individual is to engage with, and influence youths who may be

engaging in anti-social behaviour, specifically deliberate fire-setting, violence towards

fire-fighters, and hoax fire calls. It is believed that breaking down barriers between

fire-fighters and youths coupled with education about the fire service may decrease

the likelihood of such incidents

A brief survey of Fire & Rescue Brigades across England, already carried out by the

evaluator, indicates there are some programmes in place dealing with this problem.

Such a model could then be a template for use across fire and rescue services.

Link with corporate aims

Prevention + protection: To take action to prevent fires

The pilot scheme partly seeks to influence youths on the hazards associated with

deliberate fire setting. An evaluation from the youths’ point of view on the

effectiveness will best inform future strategies.

Organisation: To deliver an effective, modern, + learning organisation

The most effective methods of engaging youths and discouraging forms of anti-social

behaviour will be evaluated.

Structure of the programme

The pilot programme was designed to be flexible and to allow the fire-fighter in the

school to use his own judgement to determine how to best achieve the aims set out by

Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service. This flexibility allowed the fire-fighter to

arrange assemblies, talks, and visits to coincide with the school timetable for classes

and holidays. Time outside of visiting classes and year groups was left to the

discretion of the fire-fighter to use as he felt appropriate at the school.

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The school suggested the PHSE (Personal social health education) class period would

be an ideal time for the fire-fighter to utilise for talks and presentations which lasts

one hour. Each year group has this class one day each week. The school was also

willing to have the fire-fighter utilise additional time periods if suitable.

Resources

The Fire-fighter

The Fire Service requested applicants for the post to be active fire-fighters in the local

community. Personal and professional characteristics of the applicant were taken into

careful consideration. Abilities such as engaging with youths, relating well to them,

and integrating into the school were highlighted. It was emphasised that the

individual serve as both a role-model and a resource for students.

The Fire Service feels they have chosen the ideal candidate for this job. The chosen

fire-fighter, Steve Atkinson, is an active fire-fighter in the Speke/Garston area. Prior

to commencing the programme, he already knew some of the youths at the school

though local boxing training. This served as a useful “ice-breaker” to engage with

youths immediately upon entering the school. His initiatives and personal aims for

the programme are well in line with those of the fire service. Personal aims

emphasised “showing a face behind the uniform” to youths and “reducing the levels of

anti-social behaviour and violence against fire-fighters.”

The Fire-fighter was given a shared office with SaferSchools, an easily accessible

office with which students are familiar and encouraged to visit if they have any

questions or concerns.

Activity Resources

All Fire Service resources were available for use in the programme. Some examples

are listed below:

Local fire station, engines, and crew available for talk and visits

Search and Rescue Team

Arson Investigation Dog and dog handler

Resources from the Youth Engagement Team (uniforms for youths to wear at

Training Centre)

The Merseyside Fire and Rescue Training School

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The pilot initiative is taking place at Parklands High School, Speke, Merseyside. This

school was chosen as an ideal school for the pilot for the following reasons:

The local fire station (Speke/Garston) has been experiencing frequent attacks

by youths

The school is concerned with addressing and preventing anti-social behaviour

The presence of the SaferSchools Programme in the school. A police officer

is stationed at the school every school day. The school believes students are

used to having a uniformed presence in the school as a resource therefore

making it easy for students to get used to having another uniformed individual

come into the school.

Willingness to participate in the programme

Duration

This evaluation covers the time period between the start-up of the programme up to

three and a half months (February-May 2005).

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Section Four: Description of the Evaluation Study

The evaluation addressed each of the 5 aims listed below:

Summary of types of anti-social behaviour amongst students at the school





Given the 3 month evaluation period for the pilot programme, the following

evaluation methods were considered appropriate to address the programme aims:

The evaluation utilised information from the following material:

1. Informal interviews with selected staff at the school

2. Discussion with fire-fighter in the school

3. Two questionnaires (the 1st before the start of the programme and the 2nd

at 3

months after start-up) One section of the questionnaire asking about students’

knowledge of the fire service was compared before start-up of the programme

and after 3 months of the programme. The other sections of the two

questionnaires differed in content and were not compared to one another over

the time period.

Phase 1 questionnaire was given to students before the fire-fighter was placed

in the school. This questionnaire measured student attitudes, experience, and

knowledge before contact with the fire-fighter. The questionnaire asks what

the fire service does and what firemen are like. Students were asked if they

have engaged in various fire-related anti-social behaviour and, if so, the

reasons for this.

Phase 2 questionnaire was given to students after the fire-fighter had been in

the school for a 3 month period. This questionnaire repeated the questions

concerning knowledge about the fire service to identify any change in general

student knowledge about the fire service over the three month period.

Questions also asked what, if any, personal contact they had with the fire-

fighter (for example, a visit to Speke fire station, Road Traffic Accident

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demonstration, talking during break). Additional questions concerned how

students think about the fire-fighter (like a teacher, a parent, a police officer, a

friend)

4. Observation and informal discussion with youths at fire activities

5. A discussion about anti-social behaviour structured around a card sorting task about

with year 7 and year 9 students.

A description of the methods used for addressing each component of this evaluation is

listed in bullet-point form under each of the aims.

Aim 1: Summary of anti-social behaviour at Parklands

The first stage summarised the types of anti-social behaviour in the school. This

served to establish the context in which the intervention is taking place. In addition, a

brief survey of youth attitudes towards authority and towards fire-fighters before

placing the fire-fighter in the school was conducted. This involved the following:

Discussion with Headmaster Alan Smithies about the school, its students,

examples of anti-social behaviour, and student’s attitudes towards adults in the

school.

Discussion with Head of the SaferLearning Initiative and Parklands in-school

policeman about anti-social behaviour in the school

Discussion about anti-social behaviour structured around a card sorting task

with 42 students

(11 males and 10 females from year 7 and 10 females and 10 males from year

9) This is about how youths think about antisocial behaviour.

Specific attitudes towards and knowledge of the Fire service and Fire-related anti-

social behaviour

Speke Fire station: group discussion with Red Watch about their experiences

of anti-social behaviour with youths in the area

Informal Discussion with 3 groups of year 7 and year 9 students (30 youths

total)

Phase 1 questionnaires (114 participants, years 7-10)

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Aim Two: Identification of the most effective fire service-related activities

Observation, participation, and informal discussion with youths at the following

activities:

Discussion with fire-fighter at school

Day at Speke Fire Station with a group of Year 7 students

Day at the Training School with a group of Year 7 students

Arson investigation dog demonstration: Classroom visit

RTA demonstration (observation)

Search and Rescue Team Year 9 assembly (observation)


Aim three: Identification of any partnerships which need to be fostered

Discussion with Headmaster and the fire-fighter at school

Analysis of the initiative and the process as a whole to identify any areas

which could benefit from additional cooperation and/or resources

Aim four: Identification of age groups most influenced by the programme

Analysis of the 2 questionnaires by year group.

Discussion with Parklands fire-fighter, Steve Atkinson on his experience and

thoughts

Observation, participation, and informal discussion with youths at the

following activities:



Arson investigation dog demonstration: Classroom visit

RTA demonstration

Search and Rescue Team Year 9 assembly (observation only)

Informal discussion with Year 7 and Year 9 mentors

Aim five: Identification of target groups for future programmes

Analysis of the 2 questionnaires by year group.

Discussion with Parklands fire-fighter, Steve Atkinson on his experience and

thoughts

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Observation, participation, and informal discussion with youths at the

following activities:



Arson investigation dog demonstration: Classroom visit (observation only)

RTA demonstration

Search and Rescue Team Year 9 assembly (observation only)

Informal discussion with Year 7 and Year 9 mentors while at the training

school with group of year 7 students

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Section Five: Results and Discussion

This section reports and discusses the results, in turn, as they relate to each of the five

aims of the evaluation.

Aim 1: Summary of anti-social behaviour at Parklands

The school has been described as “challenging” in terms of anti-social behaviour.

Both teachers and the students feel there are particular problems with bullying, fights,

and theft such as mobile phones and jackets. The adults interviewed feel there are

particular issues concerning respect and boundaries between adults and youths. Some

teachers and staff get along well with youths while others experience difficulties such

as disruptive, disrespectful behaviour and fighting

The presence of a police officer in the school is believed to have a positive impact on

the amount of anti-social behaviour and many youths feel they can ask the officer for

help dealing with there peers if they feel the situation is serious.

General youth attitudes towards anti-social behaviour

An interesting finding in discussing the card sorting task with youths revealed youths

tend to think of anti-social behaviour not in terms of “right and wrong”, but rather in

terms of the likelihood of getting caught by police. When asking youths about the

seriousness of the different types of anti-social behaviour, instances of theft are

considered “serious” by youths because of possible arrest, whereas behaviour such as

verbal and physical abuse and lying are not so serious. Other “serious” behaviours

involved offences against one’s friends or family. This may be due to the likelihood

of getting caught or perhaps due to the nature of such relationships. It may be that

having a close bond with someone acts as a protective factor and the individual can

empathise with the potential victim more readily than is the victim is unknown or

anonymous.

It is interesting that most anti-social behaviour concerns these non-theft behaviours

yet appears to be the most problematic. This highlights the importance of

consequences of behaviour and how the presence or lack of consequences affect the

perceived severity of anti-social behaviour.

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Youth attitudes shown below in Figures 1, 2, and 3. They are broken down into

categories of violence, verbal abuse, deception, and theft. The given percentage

indicates a response of “slightly agree,” “agree,” or “strongly agree” to the given

statements by student respondents.

Figure 1. Attitudes towards anti-social behaviour: violence

Percentage of agreement given to the right of each statement in the graph.

Violence

11%

40%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

It is ok to be

violent with

police

It is ok to hit a

teacher

Figure 2. Attitudes towards anti-social behaviour: verbal abuse


Verbal abuse

8%

13%

0% 2% 4% 6% 8% 10% 12% 14%

It is ok to shout

abuse at people on

the street

It is acceptable to

shout abuse at

police

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Figure 3. Attitudes towards anti-social behaviour (Deception)


Deception

21%

46%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

It is OK to

make hoax 999

calls

It is OK to lie to

a policeman

Figure 4: attitudes towards anti-social behaviour (Theft)


Theft

30%

3%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40%

It is OK to steal

from a local

shop

It is OK to pinch

things from a

mate

Research supports the notion that attitudes correlate with behaviour. This survey

suggests some youths have very anti-social attitudes, particularly towards adults. This

finding is supported by incidents of anti-social behaviour at Parklands High School

and incidents the school is aware of in the local area.

These negative attitudes are reflected in responses such as “It is ok to lie to a

policeman” (46% agreement) and “It is acceptable to hit a teacher” (40% agreement).

This is in contrast to responses with a lower rate of agreement such as “It’s OK to

pinch things from a mate” (3% agreement) and “Its OK to shout abuse at people on

the street” (13%)

Anti-social attitudes towards adults

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These responses suggest attitudes towards adults in some position of authority are

more negative and anti-social in nature. It is particularly relevant that these attitudes

towards violence, theft, and verbal abuse are directly relevant to the attacks on fire-

fighters by youths. Previous research by Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service into

attacks on fire-fighters has shown that these attacks often involve verbal abuse, theft

from the pump, and some incidents of direct violence. There is a clear opportunity for

targeted intervention such as this programme under evaluation to make an impact on

such attitudes towards adults in authority and those in uniform over a period of time.

Fire related anti-social behaviour

Some of the youths at the school do engage in fire-related anti-social behaviour.

Figure 5 shows results from the survey of 114 youths in years 7 -10 (ages 9-15).

Percentages to the right of the statement indicate a response of “yes” response by

students.

Figure 5. Fire-related anti-social behaviour with percentage “yes” responses.

28%

14%

9%

53%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

Deliberately set a fire

Thrown missiles (rocks, bricks,

etc) at a fire-fighter or pump

Shouted abuse at a fire-fighter

Have done this/these in the past

year

Of the youths who have engaged in this type of anti-social behaviour, 69% report this

was due to peer pressure or they are not sure as to why they have done it. This

highlights the need to address the issue of peer pressure and self-confidence in the

intervention. This response suggests that even though youths may find certain

behaviours unacceptable, the influence of peers may result in anti-social behaviour.

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53% of youths report having done this in the past year. Most of these youths are in

Year 9 (13, 14 years old). This raises the question of which year groups to target the

intervention. This will be discussed later in this section under Aim 5.

Aim Two: Identification of the most effective fire service-related activities

A variety of activities have taken place in the school during the evaluation period.

Each activity is briefly summarised below with quotes from students. A discussion of

the most effective activities will follow this summary.

Speke/Garston Fire station (day long visit): 6 students

Students were chosen for this visit as a reward for good attendance. These students

were described as being “good” youths and not likely to engage in anti-social

behaviour.

The evaluator spent the day with the youths and spoke with them throughout the day.

Youths expressed clear interest in all aspects of the station tour. Examples of this

interest are asking numerous questions and showing eagerness to participate in

activities such as running drills, making lunch at the fire station, and washing the fire

engine.

Youths were particularly curious about the equipment on the pump. Many issues

concerning hoax calls, attacks on fire-fighters and road traffic accidents were

addressed in a way that engaged interest. One example is that of hoax calls. Youths

were shown what happens when the alarm goes off, how control sends a message with

a phone number of the individual who called 999. Youths were surprised to discover

that phone numbers cannot be “hidden” when making a hoax call.

Comments by youths who visited the station

“This [visit] makes me think about being a fire-fighter”

“I didn’t realise how hard this job is”

“They do a lot of different jobs”

“The best part was wearing the fire clothes”

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Fire Training School (Day long visit): 12 students

This group consisted of some youths who have been involved in fire-related anti-

social behaviour. Youths attended a discussion about fire extinguishers and types of

fires. Most of the day youths were dressed in full fire gear obtained from the

Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service Youth Engagement Team. The youths ran drills

and put out fires. Issues such as fire safety were discussed in response to questions

asked by youths. Several fire-fighters from the training school engaged with the

youths throughout the day.

Comments by youths who visited the Training School

“They work hard”

“Can we come back again?”

“If I keep out of trouble can I come back?”

PHSE class presentation/demonstration: (up to 25 students)

2 presentations were observed:

The arson investigation dog and handler

Road Traffic Accidents

The arson investigation dog handler (Dean) and his dog (Floyd) were popular with the

youths. Most youths were unaware that the fire service has a dog for such purposes.

Both Steve (the fire-fighter at the school) and Dean were available for questions,

though the youths were quite focused on what the dog was doing.

This demonstration is good for engaging youths and creating an interest in the kinds

of things the fire service does.

The road traffic accident demonstration was one of the more “talked about”

presentations around the school when youths were asked if they had met the fire-

fighter. Several students mentioned the equipment used and the ways in which fire-

fighters can get individuals out of cars when they are trapped. This was a very

successful presentation judging from the impact it has made on students and educating

them about the various incidents fire-fighters attend.

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Year group assembly- Search & Rescue Team (up to 100 students)

Many students were interested in the presentation and asked many questions. As with

large groups of students, some students were disruptive throughout the presentation,

making this activity run less smoothly than the other activities conducted with 25

students of less. It was difficult to identify youths who were willing to participate in

the demonstration, though this is appeared to be more due to shyness standing in front

of their peers rather than a lack of interest in the assembly.

.

Discussion

Overall, the day trips (Speke/Garston fire station and the Training school) and smaller

group presentations/demonstrations appear to be most effective in engaging with

youths and increase the likelihood of breaking down boundaries between youths and

fire-fighters. In these smaller groups, the youths were more likely to ask questions,

participate when asked for volunteers, and talk to the fire-fighter after the class. The

atmosphere is far more relaxed and akin to an informal gathering rather than a lecture

or a school assembly.

In terms of reducing the likelihood of anti-social behaviour, again, the smaller groups

and day trips created an atmosphere conducive to engaging youths in discussions

about behaviour and consequences. Such information can be difficult in a large

assembly when more disruptive students are difficult to control. It is likely the

disruptive students are those who engage in anti-social behaviour outside the

classroom. It is in the smaller group activities that the fire-fighter is more likely to

engage these individuals.

Breaking down boundaries, engaging with youths

The days out of the classroom in small groups (Speke/Garston Fire Station and the

Training School) made the greatest impression on the youths. The evaluator visited

the school on more than twelve occasions during the 3 months and several times

youths from these 2 activities spoke to her in the hallway or in a classroom and

mentioned how much they enjoyed the day. In terms of breaking down boundaries

between the fire service and youths, these activities appear to be the most effective

with youths.

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Steve Atkinson, the fire-fighter based at the school feels boundaries are broken down

most readily on the trips out of school. This is expressed in his statement which

follows:

“Personally I think the best way to break down the barriers between the fir-efighters

and the children is by the visits to the training school and to the station as this

involves the two groups mixing together and the children can see first hand that the

fire-fighters are genuinely nice people who do not deserve the abuse and violence

they encounter”

Reducing anti-social Behaviour

Classroom groups and day out with youths appear to have the most impact.

At the training school and fire station, the youths noted how difficult a fire-fighters

job must be after experiencing for themselves what it is like to run drills while

wearing the youth uniform. This may have an impact on those youths who may have

engaged in fire-related anti-social behaviour or are at risk of doing so.

The Road Traffic Accident demonstration was popular with youths as well. Informal

discussion with youths suggests they have a significant amount of respect for the fire

service because of this. This increased respect may have an impact on fire-related

anti-social behaviour; though it is difficult to determine at this point in the

programme.

Awareness of the Fire Service through fire-related activities

Phase 2 questionnaire responses show a general increased awareness of what the fire

service does. In Phase 1 youths were asked the following:

“List three things the fire service does” The three most frequent responses are listed

below:

1. Saves people

2. Installs smoke alarms

3. Saves cats from trees

There was very little variation in these responses, and some students did not complete

the list of three things.

Reponses to this questions from Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the questionnaire were

compared to identify any changes in students general awareness about the fire service.

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In the Phase two questionnaire (after 3 months), these were still the most common

responses, however, a variety of new responses emerged in a large number of

reponses. Newly reported responses to the question of what the fire service does are

as follow:

Help in road traffic accidents

Fire Service education

They are a friend to people

Rescue

They make sure buildings (houses, factories, schools) are safe from fire

hazards

Given the nature of the fire-related activities undertaken at the school so far, this

increased knowledge is very likely to be due to this pilot initiative

Aim three: Identification of any partnerships which need to be fostered

Local police and resources within the school

This programme has numerous resources at its disposal such as the Fire Training

School, community fire stations, and the Youth Engagement Team. The most

beneficial partnerships to be fostered appear to be those within the school and with

local police. These partnerships are discussed below.

Within the school

The school is aware of many youths who may benefit from this programme.

Communicating with the policeman based at the school is an effective way to target

students. This is a unique situation to Parklands High School and should be utilised as

much as possible.

The school has already experienced a considerable change in behaviour from one

male youth. He developed a friendly relationship with the fire-fighter in the school

and they arranged a “reward” system of a visit to the Training School if he received

positive comments from his teachers. The fire-fighter, Steve Atkinson, supports this

idea and plans to continue this strategy. After only one month at the school he

reported the following:

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“The scheme has only been running for a short time and already it is

showing pleasing results. I am already recognised by a lot of pupils in

the school on a first name basis and when on the Fire Appliance in the

Speke area I am and the rest of the crew are shouted and waved to.

Children are asking their teachers when am I coming to talk to their

class. There are a few children who are normally disruptive in school

have been getting exceptional comments such as „fantastic in class‟,

„very well behaved today‟, and „a changed man‟ written on their report

cards in an attempt to be selected for one of the visits I have planned”

Thus far, this appears to be a very successful method of targeting specific students

and encouraging positive behaviour and engaging youths in fire-service activities.

Such youths may, in fact, be the ringleaders who have power to influence other

youths. If these youths are positive about the fire service they can potentially have a

significant impact on their peer’s attitudes toward fire-related antisocial behaviour.

Local police

A partnership with local police could serve to identify students who have been in

trouble for fire-related anti-social behaviour or who are “at risk”.

The fire-fighter could make contact with this youth and arrange possible visits to the

local fire station or to the training centre. This may serve to break down barriers and

give the individual opportunities to think about consequences of fire-related anti-

social behaviour. Previous research talking with youths involved in an intervention

programme (Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service Youth Engagement Team

programme, formerly known as the F.R.E.E team) suggests such experiences can

change youth attitudes towards attacks on fire-fighters.

The school is aware of which youths are involved with anti-social behaviour both in

school, and often out of school. The presence of an in-school police officer serves as

a clear advantage to the Fire-fighters in School Programme.

Aim four: Identification of age groups most influenced by the programme

&

Aim five: Identification of target groups for future programmes

These two aims will be discussed together as these findings are linked to one another.

24

Year 7 students have been the most vocal and enthusiastic about discussing the

activities. Informal discussion reveals many of them are eager to have more contact

with the fire-fighter and fire-related activities. This suggests this group is a captive

audience for the aims of the fire-fighters in schools programme.

One point to raise is that this may have been due to the fact the evaluator has seen this

year group more times than the other year groups, and consequently the youths were

more comfortable talking to her. The evaluator had difficulty accessing year 9 youths

to fill out questionnaires and to speak with due to exam preparation and scheduling.

They may not have been as enthusiastic about the programme as the other year groups

due to pre-occupation with the exams.

The fire-fighter, Steve, feels that while Year 7 students are immediately more

responsive to in-school activities, year 9 students have benefited as well. He has

observed this and mentions the following:

“The older children are more reluctant to get involved but I think this is down to male

bravado more than anything else as after the first 10 minutes or so they tend to let

their barriers down and come forward to join in.”

Questionnaire responses indicate that roughly half of those youths who have engaged

in fire-related anti-social behaviour have done so in the past year. This suggests that

the younger the group, the greater the chance of stopping behaviour before it starts.

Teachers and learning mentors at the school firmly believe that year 7 is a key year

for addressing anti-social behaviour. This is because these are the youngest students

at the school and are at risk of being negatively influenced by older students. They

may do so because they are trying to fit in, because they do not know better, or are

trying to gain status amongst peers by behaving in particular ways. It is argued that

by year 9 “we have already lost some of them” according to one teacher, suggesting

these youths are set in their ways and not willing to listen to adults.

However, it is important to note, that because of the fire service presence in the

school, many youths have asked about a career in the fire service. So, while youths

may not be open to listening about consequences of anti-social behaviour, they may

be interested in and learn from fire-related presentations and demonstrations. By

25

looking to the fire-fighter in this way, a respect-based relationship may develop and

boundaries are broken down in this fashion.

How year groups view the fire-fighter

A questionnaire was given to a small group of 60 students from years 7, 8, and 9.

They were asked to choose what the fire-fighter in the school is most like:

A teacher, police, a friend, or a neighbour.

The majority of Year 7 students think of him as most similar to either the

police or a friend (both had 39% vote)

The majority of Year 8 students think of him as most similar to a teacher

(61%)

The majority of year 9 students think of him as a neighbour (42%)

These perceptions merit further exploration, as they may relate to the manner in which

interventions could be tailored to each year group. That some year 7 students feel the

fire-fighter is similar to the police would be interesting to explore further-whether this

is due to wearing a uniform, protecting individuals, or being seen as an “authority

figure”.

26

Section Six: Summary and Recommendations

Types of anti-social behaviour amongst students at the school

Both the school and students recognise anti-social behaviour is a problem with

students both in and out of school. Some students report having been involved in

fire-related anti-social behaviour with makes this school an ideal setting for the

programme “Partnership working: fire-fighters in school”. It is recommended that

there be continual emphasis on getting students to think through the possible

consequences of their behaviour regardless of whether is legally punishable or not.


Classroom based presentations/demonstration and visits to the local fire station

and the training school are most beneficial. This appears to be due to the

increased contact between the fire-fighter(s) and the youths. The youths

participate more in discussion and in activities. Larger presentation run a higher

risk of being repeatedly disrupted by some students and students are less likely to

participate in any activity, possibly due to shyness in large groups. After a 3

month period, it appears the smaller group demonstrations have a greater impact

on students. Students particularly like demonstrations involving fire equipment

they can handle and try out themselves.


Increased information sharing between the SaferSchool staff, including the

resident policeman is ideal. This can help to target students who engage in fire-

related anti-social behaviour. It is recommended that fire-fighters placed in other

schools establish and maintain contact with a school safety officer and with local

police. This serves to help identify youths who may benefit from such a

programme.


The fire activities were well liked by all year groups. Years 7 and 8 demonstrated

particular interest and enthusiasm and often spoke about the presentations and

27

visits. A few of the older youths were interested in the fire service as a careers

option.


Based upon this evaluation, years seven and eight are an ideal target group. By

focusing on youths starting at year 7 with presentations and visits, a relationship could

build up between the fire-fighter and youths over a period of years. In addition, the

schools learning mentors and teachers strongly suggest focusing on the Year 7 youths

arguing they are at an age which is willing to listen to adults more than the older

youths.

A particular note about the fire-fighter

It is important to mention that the fire-fighter, Steve Atkinson, has been a large part of

putting the Fire Service aims into action. He was given considerable flexibility is

organising this programme as he felt suitable and has made use of many of the fire

service resources.

Observing the activities it is clear that the students talk to him and value what he says

not only because he is a fire-fighter, but due to his personality as well. He spent time

with youths not only during class periods, but on their breaks as well.

An outgoing individual who engages with youths on their level appears to be an

essential component to this programme. The youths mentioned that he doesn’t “talk

at you”, or preach information, but rather stimulates debates on topics such as hoax

calls and asks youths their own opinions on issues. It is recommended that extension

of this programme into other schools keep the same high standards of job candidate

selection

28

Recommendations

It is important to note that due to the 3 month duration of this programme the

information is largely based on student feedback, observation, and discussion.

Particularly regarding fire-related anti-social behaviour, it would be ideal to evaluate

Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service records of this information in the Speke area over

the period of one year. To evaluate such information at present would be unreliable.

Any changes in the number of fire-related anti-social behaviours could be do to a

number of reasons such as time of year or school holidays. It would be unclear as to

the source of any changes.

Taking this into consideration, the following recommendations are given for this pilot

project and additional “fire-fighters in schools” projects in Merseyside:

Further research examining and comparing recorded data held by

Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service taking into account the nature and

frequency of fire-related anti-social behaviour the year prior to the start-

up of this programme and one year after.

Continual emphasis on getting students to think through the possible

consequences of their behaviour regardless of whether is legally

punishable or not.

Emphasis on smaller group activities to encourage increased

communication between the fire-fighter and youths, and encourage the

breaking down of barriers between the two

Focusing on the younger age groups (Year 7 and 8) in the school may

increase the impact of the programmes aims

Careful selection of fire-fighters to be placed in the school focusing on

individual initiative, the ability to relate well to youths and to educate

youths in participatory way rather than “talking at them”.

29

Recommendations for further research

Examination and comparison of recorded data held by Merseyside Fire &

Rescue Service taking into account the nature and frequency of fire-related

anti-social behaviour the year prior to the start-up of this programme and

one year after.

For expansion of the programme to additional school: examination of the

geographical location of attacks on fire-fighters and targeting schools in

areas identified as “hot spots” for these incidents.

Long-term benefits of this programme need to be evaluated to address the

following questions:

3. Does this programme need to be a permanent fixture in the school for the

positive effects to continue?

4. Or is fire-fighter in the school for a fixed term of a few months per year

sufficient to change this culture of anti-social behaviour and break down

boundaries between youths and the fire-fighter?

Many youths reported engaging in attacks on fire-fighters due to peer pressure.

With some peers having such a powerful influence on others, it is fruitful to

explore positive peer influence on attitudes towards fire-fighters and any

reduction in incidents of fire related anti-social behaviour.

30

Acknowledgements

Special thanks to Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service

Mike Hagen (Deputy Chief Fire Officer)

Steve Atkinson

Guy Keen

Speke Red Watch

Special thanks to the following at Parklands High School for all their

cooperation and participation:

Alan Smithies (Head teacher)

Noreen O’Neill

Parklands students

31

APPENDIX 1

Phase 1 Questionnaire

32

Please answer the following questions honestly. Your answers will be

anonymous and will not be seen by your teachers.

Your Age____

Year____

What does the fire service do (3 things)?

1.

2.

3.

What are firemen like?

Do you know any firemen? YES / NO

Have you ever deliberately set a fire? YES / NO

Have you ever shouted abuse at a fire fighter? YES / NO

Thrown missiles (rocks, eggs, bricks) at a firefighter or at a fire

truck? YES / NO

If yes, why did you do this?

Did you do it because your friends were doing it? YES / NO / I

DON’T KNOW

Have you done this in the past year? YES / NO

Have you ever had a written warning or been arrested by Police?

YES/ NO

What would you like to know about the Fire & Rescue Service?

In what ways are police and firefighters the same?

In what ways are they different?

Here are some things some people say. Read each statement carefully. After each statement tick the box which is closest to how you feel. Thank you!

Strongly

agree

Agree Slightly

agree

Slightly

disagree

Disagree Strongly

disagree 1 It’s OK to get into fights in town

2 It’s OK to shout abuse at police

3 It’s OK to get violent with police

4 It’s OK to shout abuse at people in my family

5 It’s OK to pinch things from a mate

6 It’s Ok to lie to the social to get money

7 Its OK to steal from a big shop

8 Its OK to shout abuse at people on the street

9 Its OK to get into fights with people my age

10 In general, fighting is wrong

11 It is wrong to lie to police to avoid paying a fine

12 It is wrong to beat up a friend

13 It is wrong to make fun of people on the street

14 It is wrong to make bogus 999 calls

15 It is wrong to hit a teacher

16 It is wrong to steal from the local shop

17 It is wrong to lie about you age to get into a club

18 It is wrong to lie to your mates

APPENDIX 2


35

Please fill out this form completely and return to your teacher. Thank you!

Year___ Age____

1. Tick the boxes of all the adults at Parklands you would feel comfortable talking to

if you need help, advice, or someone to talk to:

*You can tick more than one box

□ Teacher

Why? _________________________________________

□ Mike (policeman)

Why?__________________________________________

□ Learning Mentor

Why?__________________________________________

□ Steve (fireman)

Why?__________________________________________

□ Someone else

Who?_____________

Why?__________________________________________

2. Has Steve, the fire-fighter…

Been to one of your assemblies? YES NO

Spoken to your class about the Fire Dog/Sniffer Dog? YES NO

Spoken to your class about Road Traffic Accidents? YES NO

Taken you to Speke Fire Station or the Training School? YES NO

Have you met him somewhere else? YES NO Where?_________

3. Tick one of the following answers. Is Steve, the firefighter most like:

Teacher ___

Policeman ___

Friend ___

Neighbour__

Parent___

4. What does the Fire Service do? (list 3 things)

1.

2.

3.

36

APPENDIX 3

Card Sorting task Instructions

Card Sorting task List of antisocial behaviours

37

Instructions (to be read aloud to student)

I would like you to sort these cards.

I want to find out how people your age think about different types of

behaviour.

I would like you to look at the following cards and sort them into groups in such a way that all the cards in any group the same to each

other in some way and also different from the cards in other groups.

You can put the cards into as many groups as you like. Each group must have at least 2 cards in it.

When you have carried out a sorting I’ll ask you to tell me your

reasons for how you sorted the cards. I will make note of those cards

and the reasons you have put them into groups.

Sort the cards based on the sentences on each card and not on the pictures.

I can read the cards aloud to you to help you sort if you want

me to.

38

List of anti-social behaviours

The following anti-social behaviours were listed on a laminated coloured card. One

behaviour was listed on each card with a corresponding picture related to the

behaviour. There were 25 cards for students to discuss

1. Lying about age to get into club

2. Stealing CD from HMV

3. Shout abuse at someone walking down the street to scare them

4. Throwing stones at firemen

5. Lie to a close friend

6. Get into a physical fight with someone on the street

7. Get into a Physical fight with a friend

8. Nick someone’s wallet/purse

9. Shouting abuse at a teacher

10. Steal a neighbours car

11. Stealing sweets from your local news shop

12. Pinch things from a mate

13. Cheating on an exam

14. Steal an abandoned car

15. Lie to a policeman

16. Make bogus 999 calls

17. Smash a car window

18. Write graffiti on a neighbours house

19. Pickpocketing someone on the street

20. Throw eggs at a taxi

21. Skip school to hang out with friends

22. Taking money from mom/dad without asking first

23. Nick things from an ambulance

24. Break into someone’s house

25. Carry a weapon (knife, gun)

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