By Deborah Hardiman

Copyright expressandstar

Crew Commander Paul Harper, from Dudley Red Watch, was working on a night shift two years ago when the crew was called out to a serious road traffic collision in Enville Road in Wallheath near Kingswinford on December 15, 2023.

He was at the wheel of the fire engine and as he pulled up at the scene he discovered that one of the casualties was his own son Ben, who had been a passenger in the vehicle which had overturned before coming to rest on its side.

Despite suffering a serious injury the 20-year-old has made a full recovery, but the emotional impact on the family remains.

“I was on duty and drove the fire appliance to the incident which had a massive effect on myself and my family, this is the reason I set these sessions up with the fantastic support from my Watch Commander Sam Wickett and Red Watch at Dudley Fire Station.

“So far we’ve delivered six sessions to approximately 200 people which has been extremely well received and we’ve had phenomenal feedback from everyone which can be found on the Dudley Fire Station Facebook page. Ben took all the impact from the crash and suffered multiple injuries including scars to his face and struggled to walk for weeks following the crash.”

“One of the most rewarding parts has been hearing parents and young people say, ‘my behaviour will change after this’. That’s exactly what we’re aiming for.

“The sessions have been really well received so far with a great mix of people attending, from learner drivers and recent test-passers, to parents encouraging their children to come along.

“My own experience prompted the idea, but as firefighters, our job is also about prevention – giving people the knowledge to make safer choices before something goes wrong.”

As a result of the incident Paul decided to turn his personal tragedy into community action by launching road safety sessions aimed at young drivers by drawing on his experience as a firefighter and a father.

Since the accident he has pioneered a series of Young Driver Awareness Courses at Dudley Fire Station, in Burton Road, aimed at 17–24-year-olds. So far around 200 young people have attended the interactive sessions which were designed to educate and help young drivers understand the risks they may face when out and about on the roads and how attempt to avoid them.

The activities include driving pedal go-karts while wearing “drunk goggles” which simulate the effects of impaired driving and the dangers, virtual reality crash scenarios, hands-on equipment demonstrations, discussion about statistics and consequences.

West Midlands Fire service said participants have found the sessions informative and have said they would recommend the programme to other young people.

To date five sessions have been delivered to around 200 people, with courses running every three to four weeks at Dudley Fire Station.

For upcoming session dates and registration details visit Dudley Fire Station’s Facebook page.