The puppets will star in a DVD focusing on arson and hoax calls.

The campaign is the first of its kind to be launched by a UK fire and rescue service.

It has been developed by a partnership comprising:

n Jeremy Beard, West Sussex fire and rescue service's youth initiatives and schools education manager.

n Get Your Head Round It, a production company specialising in using puppets to put across social issues affecting young men and women.

Mr Beard said: "I first saw the work of Get Your Head Round It at the Association of Chief Police Officers' conference, where it was shown how their puppets can effectively get across powerful messages on heavy-duty issues such as gun crime and gang culture.

"I could see this was an ideal way of immediately catching – and then holding – the attention of young people, ensuring they absorb important safety messages.

"This is all part of our ongoing policy of engaging with young people throughout West Sussex – in this case with a DVD that can be shown in all secondary schools.

"We are focusing on arson and hoax calls because arson is one of the main causes of fire in the UK, including West Sussex, and hoax calls are life-threatening because they can divert resources away from real emergencies."

The DVD was launched by its puppet stars at Felpham Community College.