Bendigo career firefighters Nicole Eames and Stuart Laing met with players from the Bendigo Thunder Women’s Football Club yesterday (11 May) to talk to them about firefighting careers.
Thunder players Kayla Shepherd and Cassie Blakeway got behind a hose to find out what a firefighting drill is like.
CFA has a partnership with the Victorian Women’s Football League in a bid to raise interest in firefighting careers amongst young women who enjoycommunity involvement, keeping fit, and being part of a team.
CFA District 2 Operations Manager Steve Smith said that there were firefighting and team sport had a lot in common, so it made sense to engage people at sports clubs to talk about future careers in the fire brigade.
“If you look at how firefighters work, it’s very much about having a broader team approach, about working not just with your immediate team but with the broader community,” he said.
“We look for people with good leadership skills who are also practical people. It’s a hard question to answer if you ask about a particular type of person.
“You can’t get limited to a certain stereotype - we need people from all sorts of backgrounds and all sorts of skills. But being able to well in a team is essential.
Thunder player Cassie Blakeway said firefighting was definitely a job she would think about in the future. “I’ve got a friend who’s a firefighter so I was aware of it,” she said.
Nicole Eames, 26, was working as a physiotherapist before switching to career firefighting last year, and says at the brigade she is just another firefighter.
"I was looking for a job that was a bit more physical and hands on with a lot more variety," she said.
"Every day is different with the fire brigade - you never know what you are going to get."
Tegan Fisher from CFA’s recruitment team said that more than 100 people had attended a ‘Women in Firefighting’ Information Session on Saturday 9 May at Bangholme, with many taking the option to try out practical activities on the day.
“They were great people who came along, very energetic, and all the questions they asked were really valid,” she said.
“There was a great atmosphere and people who tried out the firefighting tasks gave it everything, they got into the teamwork aspect and were cheering each other on.”
Tegan said that a lot of CFA’s recruitment initiatives were not just aimed at encouraging people to apply as part of the immediate intake.
“A lot of people might not be ready to apply now but it’s about sowing the seed so people are aware of the opportunity and know what they need to do to be ready to apply.”
Applications for the next intake of career firefighters will be open until Monday 18 May 2015. FOr more information go to cfa.vic.gov.au/career
Author: CFA News