‘Everyone was smiling’: Fire station throws open big red doors for first SEN open day

More than 700 children and their families came together for Croydon fire station’s first ever Special Education Needs (SEN) family open day last weekend.

The day was organised by Station Officer Daniel Foster, from Croydon fire station’s Blue Watch.

After seeing his own daughter, who is autistic, struggle to enjoy open days at the station, Mr Foster decided to curate his own event, specially adapted for neurodiverse children.

He said: “This day has taken months of planning and is something I’ve aspired to do ever since I first invited my daughter to visit my workplace. 

“She found the usual open days extremely overwhelming so I knew that children like her could really benefit from something specially designed for their needs.”

Special features for the open day included a hose connected to a hydrant to give children with sensory needs an opportunity to squirt water – rather than from a hose connected to a running fire engine.

The station also converted its Breathing Apparatus chamber – normally used for training purposes – into a sensory room with lights and a projection of a fire on the wall for the young attendees to locate.

Quiet areas were set up in the station yard with lights, wind chimes, plants, hanging paper flowers and bubbles for children who were susceptible to sensory overload. 

The day was free entry but raised funds for Certitude, a London-wide charity that provides support to people with learning disabilities, autistic people, and people with mental health needs.

Mr Foster said: “I want to pay tribute to my whole Watch who really got behind the project. 

“It was really great to be able to support Certitude while helping our local community who rarely see these type of opportunities that are organised for them.”

Some families had visited the station for an open day two weeks ago, but children had found it too overwhelming, Mr Foster said.

He said: “It was a huge compliment when the same people came to our SEN Open Day and stayed from the start to the very finish. 

“It was hard work but the most rewarding and worthwhile thing I’ve ever worked on in my 22-year career as a firefighter in the borough.”

London Fire Brigade’s education team manager, Judith Oram, attended the day with education officers to give fire and road safety advice to families. 

She said: “The amount of work that Blue Watch did for this event was extraordinary. 

“Daniel was the driving force, he created a fantastic calm safe space for neurodiverse children to attend and enjoy. 

“Parents were amazed at how many activities the children were able to try and were so thankful that the firefighters had catered for their neurodiverse children. 

“Everyone was smiling!”

Mr Foster and his team are now planning to make the SEN open day an annual event.

For more information about all the Brigade’s fire station open days, visit: www.london-fire.gov.uk/community/fire-station-open-days.

 Pictured top: A future firefighter at Croydon fire station’s SEN open day (Picture: J Barry, Certitude)