CFA District 23 Mansfield Group is opening its doors and inviting the community to join group members for an information evening which includes a presentation from some successful CFA women.
The event will be held at Mansfield Fire Station on Wednesday 29 March at 7.30pm. The aim of the session is to educate the community, encourage people to complete their Minimum Skills and inspire women to join their local brigades.
An active member of CFA since 2008, Sharon Jones a retired school teacher turned firefighter is leading the event with Rowan Neely.
Originally from Melbourne, Sharon moved to Tolmie. As a way of adapting to her new community, Sharon joined the local fire brigade.
“When you join a brigade you become a part of the CFA family and that is the best part for me. When you share a common goal it is a stepping stone for friendship,” Sharon said.
“Our goal is to engage and educate our community. It’s also a great opportunity for women who have thought about joining to listen to some inspiring stories from our female fireys.”
The panel will give insight into research relating to women in emergency services and CFA’s diverse range of members. Following the presentation there will also be an opportunity for questions from the floor.
“Our local newspaper assisted us in our campaign for community engagement by featuring some of our great members,” she said.
“We are proud of this event and all those involved and we hope that this is something other brigades may adopt when trying to rally new recruits.
“We’re encouraging all surrounding communities to join us for this event.
“We want people, especially women, to know that jumping on the fire truck isn’t scary. We all bring different skills to the task and work as a team to succeed.”