Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service has partnered with students from Northern Counties School, part of the Percy Hedley Foundation, to develop a collection of water safety videos aimed at supporting Deaf and hard of hearing communities.
The young people taking part are members of the school’s Deaf provision, where British Sign Language (BSL) is used as the main form of communication.
As part of the project, students travelled to several well-known North East locations, including Exhibition Park, Quayside and Cullercoats Beach, filming signed demonstrations explaining what to do during water emergencies.
The videos also promote the 999 BSL app, a service designed to help Deaf and hard of hearing people contact emergency responders quickly and clearly.
Steve Thomas, head of Prevention and Education at Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service said:
“We would like to sincerely thank Percy Hedley Foundation and their amazing students for their invaluable support in helping us educate the Deaf community on water safety.
“This project has been a huge success.
“The students have not only empowered our service with knowledge, confidence, and insight, but have also helped ensure this work will make a lasting, positive impact on the wider community.”
Gemma Wallis, senior leader at Northern Counties School added:
“This has been a fantastic experience.
“The skills the students have acquired as a result of this project is brilliant.
“The students involved have been a credit to the school in promoting such important safety messages through BSL.”
