Hugs at Home

Do you have family or close friends serving in Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service?

Would you like to learn more about how to best support their wellbeing - and yours - following stressful incidents using Psychological First Aid techniques?

Going home after a difficult shift is sometimes the hardest thing for first responders to do. But being the ones at home can be equally hard.

We are the first fire service in the UK to run 'Hugs@Home' training, funded by the charity Movember UK.

HUGS@Home helps family members and friends of first responders to provide social support by raising awareness and teaching practical stress management skills.

We will be holding two free in-person, one-day workshops in February for the friends and family of our staff. These will be on Friday 16 and Saturday 17 February 2024 at locations across the county. This training is specifically for the families and friends of firefighters, so we will invite you to come without your fire service staff member.

Anyone else who provides support to a firefighter is welcome, so you can come with a parent, friend, or child if you don't want to come alone.

On the training day, you'll be able to try out practical skills around how to have supportive conversations, identify signs of stress and prioritise self-care using psychological first aid techniques.

The training will be in the elements of 'HUGS': Hearing, Understanding, Guiding, and Supporting. It aims to help reduce the impact of what first responders take 'home' and enhance the wellbeing of first responders and their loved ones.

This is a great opportunity to give back to families or close friends who do so much to support firefighters and fire staff.

We have a small fund to cover any childcare required for the day, please let us know if you'll need this and we will contact you with details.

To register your interest email firepeoplesupport@norfolk.gov.uk.