FIRE safety education was the order of the day for Year 5 pupils from St Dominic Savio Catholic Primary School in Woodley.

A crew of firefighters from Wokingham Road Fire Station visited the Western Avenue school, giving children the chance to sit in the fire engine and learn about the daily duties of the emergency services.

Children were lectured on the importance of smoke alarms and the dangers of hoax 999 calls, before returning to the classroom for a short role play on what to say when making a call to the Fire Brigade.

Claire Birkett, Year 5 teacher, said: "I am pleased the children took the message on board and went home to check their smoke alarms straight away.

"The firefighters really brought Fire Safety Education to life and the children were so eager to listen and took in every word.

"This work within schools in our community is essential to help children to know how to keep themselves safe and what to do in an emergency.

"It is vital that children understand the seriousness of making hoax 999 calls and that they know what to do in an emergency.

"The firefighters inspired several pupils to want to pursue a career in the Fire Brigade, as they recognised how important the work is for our community."

Towards the end of the session, the children watched as their teacher was dressed into firefighters' uniform, before making leaflets on fire safety to display around the school.

Grace, a Year 5 pupil at St Dominic Savio added: "I was amazed by the size of the giant scissors used to cut open the car roofs. The firefighters must be so strong to be able to operate such heavy equipment."