Excited children at Heddington Primary School got to try on a firefighter’s helmet and jacket during a visit from a fire safety officer yesterday.

Deborah Lowe visited the school to emphasise the importance of a secure home and brought the firefighter’s costume for children to try.

She also showed children pictures of different homes and got them to guess what might be unsafe, including lit candles and a fire without a fire guard.

Headteacher Ashley Martin said all children had been told about the importance of smoke alarms, and had been asked to speak to parents about checking these.

He said: “It’s very much about fire awareness, what to do and who to contact in an emergency. It’s about safety round the house, knowing what’s safe and what’s not, what not to touch and where not to go.

“They were excited, it’s something different for them, we said ‘a fireman is coming in’ and they were all quite excited. They also got to dress up in a firemen’s outfit. The children got a sense of how heavy the equipment is they have to carry.”