CHESHIRE Fire and Rescue Service is the first of its kind in the country to host a new course aimed at raising awareness of road safety practices.

The Road Safety Practitioner’s Foundation Course focuses on engaging with vulnerable road users and evaluating the service’s current safety.

It allows the service to identify areas for improvement and also gives participants the opportunity to share best practice.

Suzanne West, Road Safety Officer, said: “The course was delivered on site by road safety practitioners. It was particularly interesting as it focused on examining behaviour, offering a new lens with which to examine the effectiveness of content delivered by the service

“It was particularly interesting as it focused on examining behaviour, offering a new lens with which to examine the effectiveness of content delivered by the service.

"The experience I’ve gained has been useful for both road safety and conducting fire setter interventions, which is when the service talks to young people who have set deliberate fires.”

The course is part of Road Safety Great Britain’s mission to raise awareness of road safety practices and safer road user behaviour.

Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service is the first to host the qualification on site.

Suzanne and fellow road safety officers Frances Egerton and Lorna Lucas, are now accredited by Road Safety Britain after undertaking the Road Safety Practitioner’s Foundation Course.

Lorna said: "The ‘light bulb moment’ for me was looking at different behaviours. For example, why do people speed or use mobile phones whilst driving?

“Getting into the psychology of behaviour was really fascinating.”

Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service will also be the first fire service to host Road Safety Great Britain's Behavioural Change course, which an extension of the Road Safety Practitioner's course.