Sixteen firefighter recruits will pull a fire engine 5km along Hove seafront at 11am on Tuesday 20 October for The Fire Fighters Charity. How to watch or give.
Sixteen trainee firefighters will haul a fire engine 5km along Hove Promenade next Tuesday, 20 October, to raise money for The Fire Fighters Charity. They set off at 11am on the Hove Lawns parkrun route, and East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service is asking people to come down to the seafront and cheer them on.
The pullers are the 43rd wholetime recruits course, the service’s newest full-time firefighters, who are still in training. By this morning their JustGiving page had raised £1,386 from 79 donations towards a £5,000 target (checked 13 October).
Why they are doing it
In their own words on the fundraising page, the recruits write: “As East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service’s 43rd cohort, we want to start our careers by giving something back to the firefighting community. The Fire Fighters Charity provides vital support to serving and retired firefighters, their families and others across the fire service community. To raise money and awareness for their work, the 16 of us will be taking on a 5km fire engine pull along Hove Promenade. Every donation, big or small, will help support those who dedicate their lives to helping others.”
Oliver Wilson, the service’s Station Manager for Operational Training, said: “Our recruits are at the very start of their firefighting careers, and this challenge is a great example of the dedication and community spirit when becoming a firefighter. By raising money for the Fire Fighters Charity, they are supporting a cause that helps firefighters, staff and their families when they need it most, while demonstrating the values that are at the heart of our fire service.”
The charity supports serving and retired firefighters, fire service staff and their families. The fire service says its help includes physical rehabilitation, psychological support, recuperation and a confidential helpline giving advice on a wide range of concerns. More about its work is on The Fire Fighters Charity website.
How to watch or donate
- When: Tuesday 20 October 2026, 11am
- Where: the Hove Lawns parkrun route, Hove seafront
- Distance: 5km along Hove Promenade
- Give: the recruits’ JustGiving page, set up in Ollie Webb’s name for The Fire Fighters Charity
The full announcement is on the East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service website.
Free electric blanket testing at Hove Fire Station the same morning
Before the pull sets off, Hove Fire Station in English Close (BN3 7EE) hosts one of the service’s free electric blanket and heat pad testing sessions, from 10am to midday on the same Tuesday. Bring the blanket or pad with its controls.
The fire service says more than a third of the electric blankets it tested last year failed the safety checks, faults it says could have led to fires and serious injury. It cites Home Office figures putting electric blanket fires in the UK at around 44 a year, mostly involving older and sometimes less mobile people.
People who come along are also offered a free home safety visit, and partner organisations will be there to talk about scams, security, housing and the warm home check scheme. If someone cannot get there, the service suggests a friend or neighbour takes the blanket in for them.
Feedback the service collected at last year’s sessions included: “I didn’t realise there was anything wrong with my blanket, but the tester showed me the bunched-up wires that could have caused a fire. Without this service I would have continued to use my faulty blanket.” Another person said simply: “My blanket failed, but I’m happy to be safe rather than have a fire.”
The other sessions that week are at Robertsbridge Village Hall (10am to 12pm) and Crowborough Fire Station (2pm to 4pm) on Monday 19 October; Seaford Fire Station (2pm to 4pm) on Tuesday 20 October; Bexhill Fire Station (9am to 12pm) and Hastings Bohemia Road Fire Station (2pm to 4pm) on Wednesday 21 October; and Eastbourne Fire Station (10am to 12pm) and Uckfield Fire Station (2pm to 4pm) on Thursday 22 October.
The service’s safety advice: check the blanket or pad for wear, fraying or damage before use, follow the maker’s instructions, switch it off before getting into bed, keep pets and heavy objects off it, and consider replacing one that is more than ten years old. Details are on the electric blankets page. For a free home safety visit, call 0800 177 7069.
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