CFA’s South East Region recently created a Headquarters Fire Brigade with the sole purpose to deliver community safety programs and initiatives.
The new brigade is known as the South East Region Community Safety Headquarters Brigade. Late last year, 37 people from both existing brigades and the wider community attended a public meeting and unanimously voted in favour of forming a new fire brigade.
“Fire prevention and community preparedness are some of the most important tools we have to reduce the number and impact of emergencies faced by our communities,” South East Region Deputy Chief Officer Trevor Owen said.
“While our operational response activities are at the core of what CFA does, this vision is achieved not only through responding to fires but importantly through working with our communities.
“We were really keen to do some fresh thinking about how our services could be delivered and what future brigade structures might look like.
“Many volunteers have expressed a strong desire to be involved in community engagement and fire safety activities, and not just in their own brigade area,” Trevor explained. “The new brigade will deliver engagement activities across the region.
“The brigade also offers an opportunity for volunteers who no longer wish to respond to emergencies to stay actively engaged in CFA and make a meaningful contribution to community.
“We’re not trying to take away from what our brigades are already doing, but complement the existing delivery and fill the gaps where brigades are unable to do so.”
The brigade supports the work of the region’s 223 community-based fire brigades to educate and engage a highly diverse range of communities spread from Melbourne’s south-eastern suburbs to remote Far East Gippsland. Members will work with local brigades to deliver preparedness activities and programs to the community including:
- bushfire and residential education sessions
- attending community events, including shows, markets and field days either with a stand/booth or with one of the mobile education units
- installing smoke alarms in homes of vulnerable and disadvantaged communities
- delivering important messaging during emergency events including planned burning
- providing surge capacity to brigades engaging with holiday makers in high bushfire risk areas
- supporting incident management activities during complex and longer duration campaign fires when additional community liaison and engagement capability is needed.
One of the brigade's first activities was attending the Hawthorn versus Richmond AFL Emergency Services match at the MCG in August (pictured above with members of District 8 HQ brigade). Members of the brigade set up mobile education units outside the MCG to provide fire safety information to the football fans.
The brigade is supported by the region’s Community Safety team.
“The team will work closely with members of the new brigade to deliver the right training and mentoring to deliver engagement activities across the region,” South East’s Manager Community Safety Jude Kennedy said.
The brigade met in August to elect its inaugural brigade management team, with Paul Webster (pictured second from left) elected as the captain.
The brigade is seeking new members with a passion for engaging with the community. If you are an existing member of a brigade, you can join this new brigade while remaining a member of your local brigade. Members outside South East Region can also join, and people who live outside a CFA area, including those from Metropolitan Melbourne, are also welcome.
People who are not currently CFA members are also welcome to join.
For more information or if you are interested in joining, email the captain at sercommunitysafety.capt@members.cfa.vic.gov.au.
| Submitted by |
Andy Oldroyd |