Nominations have opened for the 2019 Emergency Services Foundation (ESF) Scholarship Scheme.
Each year the ESF provides the opportunity for members of the state’s emergency services to participate in a study tour that will lead to improvements in Victoria’s emergency management sector.
The scholarship also provides individuals with a valuable opportunity to investigate a topic or an issue they are passionate about.
ESF has indicated that 2019 scholarships will be prioritised towards applications that address issues of mental health and wellbeing, diversity and inclusion, and volunteering.
Ten CFA staff and volunteers have been awarded an ESF Scholarship in the past six years.
This year Geoff Ranzenhofer, Senior Station Officer at Greenvale, and Luke Heagerty, Manager Incident Management Systems, were granted scholarships to explore best practice in fire safety.
Geoff is studying practical fire investigation training at sites in the United States and the UK. His research focuses on fire investigation for room burns.
Luke is also studying in the United States and UK, exploring how incident management takes place in collaboration with the private sector.
Previous CFA recipients James Wong and Stephen Walls have also benefited from the scholarship scheme.
In 2016 James explored the successful implementation of self-contained breathing apparatus technology and innovations, specifically targeting enhancements to emergency responder safety in situations where breathing was difficult and in complex environments.
In 2013 Stephen studied multi-agency training, education and professional development for Strategic Level Incident Managers.
Other CFA alumni include Aviation Officer Wayne Rigg and Benloch Fire Brigade’s Carl Gibson, who respectively explored the use of aircraft to accelerate response time of technical/specialist rescue teams and equipment on the ground; and investigation of training methods to improve operational performance, resilience and safety of emergency services personnel.
All scholarship applications must be fully endorsed by agency heads, confirming the benefits that would flow to the agency and the sector more broadly if their nominee is successful.
For further information including applications forms and advice on the application process visit the ESF website.
Key dates
1 March 2019 - Scholarship applications close
April 2019 - Short listed applicants interviewed by the ESF Scholarship Committee
May 2019 - Scholarship recipients and their Head of Agency advised
June 2019 - Scholarship awardees announced