Women excel in District 8

District 8 volunteers have been participating in a variety of skills and leadership development programs

 

Equitable opportunities for members to develop their skills has been a focus in District 8 lately, with two major programs completed by members since September.

 

The District 8 Women’s Network hosted its annual Pre-Season Skills Maintenance Day on 7 October, and the Women in Leadership Program ran in August and September.

The leadership program supports women in incident management by helping them to develop the skills needed to become strong female leaders in the emergency services sector. The idea, which was developed by three volunteers, was coordinated by South East Region's Volunteer Sustainability Team (VST) who worked with Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) to facilitate best outcomes for particpants.

FRV Station 87 Senior Station Officer Josey Sensi led the program, drawing from over 20 years of experience in the sector. Josey started her career as a CFA volunteer at Ferntree Gully before joining South Australian Metro Fire service as a firefighter in 1998. She then returned to CFA as a firefighter in 2002 until FRV was formed.  She now primarily works at Dandenong and Springvale, and instructs and assesses firefighters at Bangholme.

As an advocate for women in emergency services, as well as her passion and experience for operational leadership and incident management, her part in this program was hugely valuable to participants.

“Operational incident leaders require a skill set that not all firefighters have.  Some firefighters have elements of it naturally, some need to develop them,” Josey explained.

“My experience has shown me that women in operational leadership roles have a natural ability for many elements of incident management. The ability to multi-task, empathy, communication skills and observational skills, to name a few. 

“I'm passionate about supporting female leaders who have to the courage to step into a leadership role in any emergency service, and with 20 years of CFA service, being a part of this program was an easy decision.

“The support given to me by FRV Southern District 2, shows the desire for both agencies to work and protect the community together.”

More than 45 members benefitted from this training, participating in both online and practical sessions. A later evaluation showed extremely high ratings for both the program's ability to meet the needs of the current membership and satisfaction in outcomes by participating in such a program.

The Pre-Season Skills Maintenance Day saw 22 members participate, providing an opportunity to brush up on important skills including thermal imaging cameras, burn over drills and hot fire scenarios, just in time for the 2023-24 fire season.

“Volunteer Sustainability Team develops and supports these programs to ensure equitable opportunities that best meet the needs of the volunteer membership,” SER VST member, and SER Women’s Network Lead Olivia Duffey said.

“These skills development programs are particularly valuable as we look to support the development of our members as they step up into leadership roles in both a CFA setting and within their communities.

“I enjoy these sessions, and the ability to get together and share experiences, tips, tricks and learn new things that allow us to take on the role of a volunteer firefighter and other management roles in our brigades.

“I am certainly looking forward to continuing to fulfill the needs of our membership by supporting their development through skills days, programs and tours in 2024, which have been directly informed by them.

“I am also looking forward to continuing the close relationships we have with other emergency services, as we seek best outcomes for our communities by working together as one.”

 

Submitted by	Olivia Duffey