Fire Preparedness for Rural Women
Partnership with landcare groups and RFS - supporting rural women to be fire ready this summer
- LEP23-005
The issue
The summer of 2024/25 is forecast to be hot and dry. In the Central West of NSW, spring has seen widespread above average rainfalls and dry matter production is at a record high. The minister for emergency services said “With high temperatures forecast this summer, we cannot be complacent. Everyone needs to take the time now to make sure they understand their risk, discuss their Bush Fire Survival Plan with their family and download the Hazards Near Me app.” This sentiment has been echoed locally by Little River Landcare members who are already concerned by excessive dry matter and the current hot and windy conditions leading into summer.
The solution
Little River Landcare has partnered with Central Tablelands Landcare and the Rural Fire Service to deliver a Fire Preparedness workshop for local rural women. While it’s a generalization to say that the blokes go off and fight fires and women stay at home and make sandwiches – this is the reality in many small rural communities. This workshop aimed at increasing awareness for rural women on how they can be better prepared for the oncoming fire season to protect their family, their home and be aware of opportunities available to them within the Rural Fire Service.
RFS members of the Cumnock Fire Brigade took participants through the steps of starting pumps, identifying different hose connections and water sources. RFS members from Orange presented the theory behind preparing for the upcoming fire season. Many participants had been through the 2019/20 fires and had valuable experiences that were shared.
The impact
15 local rural women attended the workshop with a number of these women keen to start the membership process with the RSF which enables them to join their local fire brigade. With 6 fires in the last week within the Cumnock/Yeoval community, local brigades are crying out for more members. The workshop also provided an opportunity for locals to meet that may not have before. Improving community networks is a vital support mechanism during potential upcoming catastrophic conditions that we are likely to experience this summer.
Little River Landcare will partner with the RFS in 2025 to deliver a series of workshops to help people work through the online material required for membership.