Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) will be taking part in the annual procession through Gravesend this Saturday (14 April) to help celebrate the Sikh festival of Vaisakhi.

KFRS willl be staging a cooking fire demonstration to show just how quickly a fire can start and why if you leave the kitchen, even for a few minutes, it’s far safer to turn the heat off to make sure tragedies are stopped before they ever happen."

Every April, millions of Sikhs around the world celebrate Vaisakhi Day, a day that marks both the New Year and the anniversary of one of Sikhism’s most important events, the establishment of Khalsa in 1699 with the first Amrit ceremony.  

KFRS’ Community Safety Manager, Leanne McMahon, said: “The parade is an excellent opportunity for us to share safety advice with the wider Sikh community and to talk to people about the importance of having working smoke alarms in their homes. 

The team will also be talking to people about the range of job and apprenticeships available at KFRS and what a great place it is to work. (Apprenticeships are open to anyone over the age of 16). KFRS prides itself on having well-trained professional staff, and an open culture which values diversity and equality.  

Leanne ended: “Though we’re best known for rescuing people from burning buildings, firefighters are not the only heroes we employ. Behind the scenes, there are many professionals working hard in essential roles the public don’t see, including our 999 control team, information system technicians, community safety officers and many more. They all play a vital part in keeping people safe.”