Sbarc brings fire safety to life at the Urdd Eisteddfod!

The three Welsh Fire and Rescue Services have officially launched their fire safety character, Sbarc, at the Urdd Eisteddfod held in Denbigh this week.

Sbarc will help spread messages to young children on the dangers of playing with fire and how to keep safe in your home and in your community.

In the Summer of 2019, South Wales Fire and Rescue Service, Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service and North Wales Fire and Rescue Service came together to design a character that would the help spread community safety messages.  The aim was to develop a character that would capture the imagination and help to educate children and members of the public on key messages of prevention, detection and escape and arson reduction.

Naming was decided by a public consultation during various public events in 2019. Over 250 children were asked on to choose between Fflach, Fflam or Sbarc.  “Sbarc” was the clear favourite with over 140 votes.

Dave Hughes, Chair of the All Wales Children and Young People’s Group, explains more:

“Sbarc has been featuring across our education and promotion materials since 2020, and has proved very popular with schoolchildren across Wales.

However, the pandemic has meant that we have not had the chance to officially launch our loveable character.

We’re thrilled that we’ve finally been able to introduce Sbarc as part of the Urdd’s centenary celebrations.

Keep an eye out for Sbarc at various events and campaigns providing safety advice to our communities.  We hope that Sbarc will help children and their parents by helping us promote the fireworks code, home safety, road safety, water safety and much more!”