By Mikayla van Loon
The opening of a CFA station to the community is both a way to engage local residents in fire safety but also build relationships with those responding to emergencies.
Lucky for the Lilydale township, the Fire Brigade will be doing just that on Saturday 2 December, linking up with the Lilydale Street Fair for the second year.
Community Safety Coordinator Kieran said having had a fantastic turn out to last year’s open day, the brigade is excited to welcome back visitors to the station.
“It’s been an important step to work with other community groups and push the idea of a united front and approach to events. There are so many events on, so it is important to work with other groups and deliver the community what they need,” he said.
“The events on Saturday will really have something for everyone which is fantastic. With a collaborative approach we can build on the thousand people that attended last year and keep building this event for the community.”
From music to food trucks and participation in the parade, Kieran said it will be a vibrant atmosphere for the community.
Meeting and communicating with the community about fire safety is one of the most important parts of volunteering with the CFA but getting the message out can be challenging at times.
“It adds a human layer to emergency response. We are all time-poor and it is difficult to ingrain important messaging, as we only really get to meet people during emergency situations,” Kieran said.
“We will be able to show people around our vehicles, show our emergency equipment, explain what we do, what we need access to, and the importance of preparation ahead of a long, hot summer.
“Opening the station will show we don’t just respond to incidents, we are a volunteer community-oriented brigade that is focusing on building relationships and educating through different means to prevent incidents before they occur.”
Not only for adults to learn and engage but also for children to better understand what to do in a fire emergency, Kieran said there will be lots of activities for young ones to do as well.
“We will have ‘firefighter’ experiences for kids, including racing the mini trucks, spraying our fire house, seeing and interacting with trucks, colouring in sheets, the ‘crawl low in smoke’ smoke house and meeting Captain Koala and Paddy the Platypus (SES),” he said.
With representatives from Victoria Police, Lilydale SES, Ambulance Victoria and the Australian Federal Police joining in the fun, Kieran said it will be a great show of the collaboration between Victoria’s emergency services, as well as a chance for kids to meet local members.
“During Covid we lost the ability to do inter-brigade and inter-agency training and we are building these relationships back up.
“Inviting all other emergency services to our open day shows that we are committed to enhancing these relationships and providing them with an opportunity to speak with members of the community, as well as giving us the opportunity to work closer together moving forwards.”
While about having fun and spending time with the community, Kieran said there is always an underlying message that needs spreading, especially heading into a dangerous fire season.
“Our key message is ‘Prepare’ ahead of summer. When you are cleaning up your property, travelling away or going anywhere in summer, always have a plan and always be prepared.
“Fire Safety is a partnership between us and the community, and we will keep trying different methods to convey the information to our community to keep everyone, including us, safe.”
Above all though, Kieran said “come down and meet us and learn about what we do. We can’t wait to meet you all!”
Don’t forget, the CFA’s Santa run will be on 18 December this year, so don’t miss out on catching him in your street.
