Military students get taste of firefighting

01/05/2026

A group of students got first-hand experience of being a firefighter as they visited Stanground Fire Station for the day.

The newly established Military Preparation Training Centre (MPTC) in Peterborough, based at the local Army Reserve Unit, visited the crew to see what a typical day in their lives looked like. They were also joined by the Service’s fitness and wellbeing advisor.

The crew from blue watch gave the students a practical introduction to the role of a firefighter, putting them through their paces with activities such as testing out the hoses and using the turntable ladder, which can extend to more than 30 metres high. They also attempted the elements of the firefighter fitness test and learned about the kit on the fire engines.

Students also heard from Station Commander Jamie Harker and Assistant Director John Fagg about how the station operates and the shift system, as well as the range of careers available in the Service and the various recruitment processes.

The visit was arranged following the Service signing up to the Armed Forces Covenant, which represents a commitment from the nation to treat those who serve or have served in the forces, along with their families, with fairness and respect. Its goal is to ensure those in the forces community are not disadvantaged when accessing public or commercial services.

John said: “It was a pleasure to host the group from MPTC and to see how they dealt with our fitness test and duties. They all seemed very keen on what our crews do and how we serve our communities.

“We’re hoping to continue building the relationship and further share the process and pathways of wholetime and on-call roles at their careers week and work experience week later in the year.”