An action-packed day at Bracknell Fire Station will celebrate 50 years of the service being at the 'heart of the community' on Tuesday.

Young and old are invited to the event at the Downshire Way base between 10am and 4pm, where a wide range of activities and demonstrations will be on offer and guests will be able to meet their firefighters.

There will be plenty to keep the little ones entertained, including the chance to have a go with hose reels in a session of target practice, a bouncy castle, interactive games and information on fire safety and several educational demonstrations highlighting the work that firefighters do.

The demonstrations are planned to run every 30 minutes during the day, and will include a rescue drill performed at height, a road traffic collision (RTC) demonstration and a hot oil pan fire demonstration – which will explain why you should never put water on a fire involving hot oil.

There will be a display of an impressive breathing apparatus drill, during which the fire station’s breathing apparatus chamber, commonly known as the ‘smoke tent’ will be filled with synthetic smoke. Visitors will have a chance to go into the breathing apparatus chamber attached to a rope – but minus the smoke and navigate around it with some of our firefighters, to allow people to get a taste of the challenging environment firefighters often face when doing their job.

Throughout the day visitors will be able to see some of the Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service's vehicles and equipment, including the Aerial Ladder Platform (ALP), the Water and Animal Rescue Unit and the off-road Zetros machine, which is the biggest vehicle in the service and based at Bracknell.

The day will fundraise for The Fire Fighters Charity, which supports people in the fire and rescue community when they are in need.

There will be several charity stalls and refreshments and food will be available to buy on the day.

No parking is allowed at the fire station.

Nev Griffiths, Station Commander at Bracknell Fire Station said: “Bracknell Fire Station has now been serving the local community for over 50 years. This open day will provide a chance for local people to come and get to know the station as well as their local firefighters. All are welcome, and there’s plenty to keep everyone entertained.”