For a few days in April the fire station at Hawkwell in Essex echoed with shrieks and laughter – and not just from the fire-fighters! It was all part of a week-long course for youngsters, known as ‘Firebreak’, which the County Fire and Rescue service has run regularly right across Essex for a number of years. The course has successfully introduced young people, many of them with discipline or behavioural problems, to the rigours of life as a firefighter. But April’s course was very different, and JMS was there to record it.

For the first time, this course was specifically tailored to the abilities of 12 children from the Downs Syndrome Extra 21 group, and the effect on them, and their parents, was immediate and inspiring. To see an extract, play the movie above. To see the whole programme, visit www.essex-fire.gov.uk