PRIMARY school children from across Wiltshire are learning the importance of fire safety with the help of Wiltshire Fire & Rescue Service.

The service is currently working with colleagues from Wiltshire Police, Wiltshire Council and Aster Communities to run the Junior Good Citizen programme for Year 6 pupils from 225 schools across the county.

Junior Good Citizen is designed to help children avoid putting themselves at risk of accident or injury, by raising their awareness of situations where something could happen.

It also encourages them to respond appropriately to emergency situations, and shows how being a ‘good citizen’ can create a safer community.

In one exercise, children enter a room set up like a bedsit and work in small teams to identify the hazards.

Dangers to spot include a soft toy left on an electric heater, candles left burning on a TV, overloaded sockets, an iron left on and face down, a petrol can placed on a hob, dangerous chemicals on view, a knife in a toaster, a tea towel drying over a lamp, and a smoke alarm on the kitchen table.