The training and development of staff working for Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service (TWFRS) is one of our key priorities. The community deserves to be served by highly trained and skilled personnel who have the ability to adapt to the challenging and rapidly changing environments that may encountered.

TWFRS prides itself in its achievement of being the first emergency service in the UK to receive the Investors in People Gold Award; in recognition of the high standards we have demonstrated in developing our staff. The award recognises our commitment to involving and engaging our staff in their own development and providing access to high quality, effective training and development opportunities.

TWFRS has state of the art training facilities at its training centre in Washington, Sunderland. These facilities include purpose built structures for personnel to train in realistic environments including structural collapse, live-fire; transport and confined space/rope access scenarios. A newly built Incident Command Suite also provides the latest technology to enable personnel to train for large scale incidents; testing our response to major incidents.

Of course, the fire service isn’t just about the operational crews who attend ‘999’ calls. We are committed to ensuring that all our staff who work in each department within the service are provided with training and development necessary to enable them to perform their role efficiently. TWFRS provides training for staff in numerous subjects including leadership, management, I.T. in fact; any subject necessary for an individual to perform their role effectively.