Meet the four young men who are training to be the next generation of firefighters at George Best Belfast City Airport.
Conor Finch, Damien Wisdom, Jack Leathem, and Cole McClelland were four of over 200 applicants to secure their positions on the highly coveted two-year programme.
Their appointments set a new record for the number of apprentices the airport has employed at any one time.
Each of the men will undergo a rigorous training programme during which they will gain on-the-job experience and qualifications in areas such as aviation fire-fighting tactic and techniques, LGV advanced driving of major foam appliances, hose deployment, branch handling, working at heights, confined spaces, advanced medical casualty care, and the wearing of breathing apparatus.
Conor Finch from West Belfast was the first apprentice to join the team and has been thriving in his new role since May.
Speaking to Belfast Live, Conor said: "I found out about it on Belfast Live and there were only a few days to go when I applied - I always wanted to be a firefighter and had always dreamed about it and this programme has turned my ambitions into a reality.
"It's been very fast-paced and I was on the run, which is basically operational, within three months. This is unique to Belfast City Airport as they have had four in the space of 10 months.
"I am very proud of it and my family and friends are very proud of it too - it really is a dream come true and it is flying in and I'm really enjoying it."
Conor was working in a Youth Club in West Belfast before joining the team at the City Airport and alongside the other young men, has been taking the "big change" in his stride.
All four apprentices will also participate in live fire demonstrations and engage in boat handling and water rescue courses, a training aspect unique to Belfast City Airport due to its proximity to the harbour area, before becoming fully-fledged members of the airport’s Fire Service and operationally joining their watch as competent aviation firefighters.
Damien Wisdom was training to be a teacher before finding his calling as a firefighter.
He said: "Through an agency called People First, there was a girl who was processing my application for a different apprenticeship and she had said that on my CV, I had mentioned that I was involved in the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service cadets.
"She had said that there was an apprenticeship here available at the Belfast City Airport in a firefighting position and that's how I became aware that this is the job for me."
Damien has been training with the team now for four months and latest recruits Cole and Jack joined back in January.
"I was just made operational yesterday after passing my practical assessments - so far so good," Damien continued.
"The learning curve has just been so steep and I've picked up so many new things and every day is a learning day in here. I'm in good hands because I couldn't have better officers to be teaching me and guiding me through the development programme."
Airport Fire Service apprenticeships are facilitated through the airport’s High Flyer’sApprenticeship scheme, now in its ninth year, and have a 100% success rate in securing full-time employment for apprentices upon graduation.
Seamus MacMahon, Chief Fire Officer at Belfast City Airport, added: "Our new recruits have hit the ground running and have already demonstrated great enthusiasm and determination in their training.
"This year we have four young people on-board, the highest number of apprentices we have had at any one time here at the Airport Fire Service, which shows the demand for roles and opportunities like this in Northern Ireland.
"We had a record number of applications this year too, all of an exceptionally high-calibre, but Conor, Damien, Jack and Cole stood out as remarkable candidates right from the beginning, and we can’t wait to watch them grow into fully-qualified firefighters who will excel in their careers."
For more information on Belfast City Airport’s High Flyer’s Apprenticeship Scheme, see here.
