Melbourne Disability Expo – A way to engage about fire safety

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Tim Marchinton chats to Lee about a bushfire plan and what she needs in a leaving early kit

CFA and FRV attended the Melbourne Disability Expo on Friday 22 and Saturday 23 November 2024. The stand's prime spot opposite the coffee cart meant there were plenty of people to chat to.

Conversations were had about both bushfire safety and home fire safety, depending on what people needed, including what type of smoke alarm to buy, where they should go in your home and how to understand the Fire Danger Rating system.

As a high-risk group, engaging with people who have a disability is a shared strategy of FRV and CFA; 62% of home fire fatalities across Australia involve people with a disability. People with a disability are two to four times more likely to die in a disaster than the general population.

At the Expo we spoke to Lee, who is a wheelchair user and about to move to Castlemaine. They wanted to understand how to start a bushfire plan.

“We both agree we need a plan and have both said on numerous occasions, we need a bushfire plan, but we have not done one,” Lee said.

This led to a conversation with CFA about packing an emergency kit and planning where to go for the day if a fire was to break out. Lee was very thankful for the individual advice.

Another key audience are Disability Service Providers as they interact and support people with a disability in their own homes. These providers are in a great position to assess if their clients need new smoke alarms and support them with other fire safety measures. There were plenty of conversations about the best way to do this. Many service providers were surprised to hear that the fire safety online learning courses and resources are free.

After three years in a row attending this Expo it was good to hear the comments from the community have changed from “why are the fire services here?” to now, “it is so good to see you here again, this is really important”.

Tuesday 3 December is International Day of People with Disability. One out of six people in the community have a disability. Who do you know that you could have a fire safety conversation with?

Want to learn more about this work, reach out to Kelly Stoner or Angela Cook at communityprograms@cfa.vic.gov.au.