This event took place in the Fire and Rescue Service HQ on Leigh Road on a beautifully sunny Friday evening.
Volunteer fire-fighters from all over Hampshire and their families were able to get together and have a nice social event.
The Hampshire Fire Dogs, Harvey and Millie, gave a display of their working “noses” as they found items concealed in plastic bags and tins.
The dogs are trained using a tennis ball and to go still and put their noses down to the suspicious substance they have found. Once there it was obvious they were just waiting for the tennis ball to be thrown so that they could chase after it!
These are rescue dogs who have been trained up and who live with their Fire-fighter “Dads” and their families. They even have special fire boots to protect their paws on hot or dangerous surfaces.
It’s clear that they love their “job” as the second those tennis balls come out the dogs just bounce with joy and eagerness.
Watch Manager Gary Elston arrived late after talking to the BBC about the ship fire at the docks but managed to snag a burger from the BBQ before taking pictures of the event.
The Community Safety Officer was there as well as other officials from the Fire Service who thanked the volunteers for their service and concluded that the Fire Service could not manage without them.
We were proud at Asda to be able to support this event by providing all the food for the BBQ.
I went along to help out with the food prep and serving and stayed to present a cheque for £200 to the Fire Fighters Charity who won our last green token vote.
Volunteers’ Week 2015
Volunteers’ Week is an annual celebration of the fantastic contribution millions of volunteers make across the UK. It took place from the 1-7 June 2015.
Glad the weather held fine for the event. It’s too easy to take volunteers, and the Fire Brigade, for granted.