MosqueOldham firefighters are leading the way in getting to know their community by taking opportunities to get involved in local activities.

White Watch from Oldham Community Fire Station visited Greengate Jamia Mosque as part of an open day. The community event presented them with a chance to look around the mosque, network with local residents and offer fire safety advice to keep families safe from fire.

The visit also gave firefighters the opportunity to speak with young people about their roles in the community and how they can help to reduce the number of anti-social incidents the fire service attends.

Oldham Station Manager, Jason Rain said: “We’re proud of the great work we’re doing in the community, it is important for us to understand the range of faiths and cultures that thrive in Oldham. It allows us to build good, strong community cohesion and for us it’s important people understand what we do. There is much more to us than turning up at a fire and putting it out. There is a wide range of services we offer that can be beneficial to the communities we serve.”

Navid Afzal, Greengate Jamia Mosque Secretary said: “The visit from the fire service was really beneficial for everyone who came to the open day and we are keen to put more of these events on in the future.

“We’re interested in hearing about how the firefighters at Oldham are looking to link up with young people in the area to tackle some of the issues we have seen recently around anti-social behaviour."

The visit to the mosque at the start of the month comes after Group Manager Jon Aspinall and Oldham Station Manager Jason Rain, spent time with the Ghazali Trust in Oldham to discuss how Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service can be more engaged with residents.

Jean Pierre Helliwell, White Watch Watch Manager at Oldham Fire Station added: “I think the visit was really beneficial and I’m happy to be strengthening the link between Greengate Jamia Mosque and ourselves.

“I’m looking forward to Navid and his colleagues from the mosque visiting us at the station and showing them a bit of what we do. It will be a great way to get involved with the young people that are involved with the mosque and there is the opportunity to work with them, especially around bonfire night and other significant events.”