By Callum Ludwig
A group of aspiring young firefighters are putting in the time to learn new skills and understand the vital role of our local brigades all the while having fun doing it.
The junior program at the Hoddles Creek CFA has a group of nearly 30 kids aged between 11 and 15 meeting fortnightly on Mondays, including a recent trip to Hillcrest CFA.
Kristen Couzens is the Junior Leader at Hoddles Creek FA and said her journey started 18 years ago as a junior herself before becoming a Junior Leader once she turned 18.
“The program is just fantastic, we currently have 24 active juniors and three juniors that are just about to turn 16 or had turned 16 this year who are now transitioning to be firefighters in their local brigade,” she said.
“Our programs run a little different to others around that state, we do visit every brigade in our group throughout the year, we start at Wandin and go to Seville, Gruyere, Yarra Junction, Hillcrest, Hoddles [Creek], Wesburn/Millgrove, Warburton and to Reefton.”
Ms Couzens estimates the junior program has a retention rate of about 80 per cent of juniors who go on to join their local brigade.
Ms Couzens said visiting other local brigades is a huge benefit.
“They will actually get to talk to their captain, and about six months before they turn 16, we reintroduce them again and sign off on them to start attending their brigade meetings and training so that they can start building that relationship with the senior members of that brigade, with the support of the leaders,” she said.
“It’s an extreme advantage when they do sit their general firefighter course too, because they already know the fundamentals, they already have a good 40 per cent; per cent grasp of what they need to have.”
At least five of the senior firefighters at the Hoddles Creek CFA came through the junior program.
Hoddles Creek CFA’s 2nd Lieutenant Brett Kerford said the program was first started by much-loved former brigade captain Leonie Turner.
“And they don’t have to be from Hoddles Creek, they come from Woori Yallock, Gruyere, Warburton and everywhere in between to do fun activities, learn about firefighting and what is involved at CFA,” he said.
“It’s important to brigades as we are all volunteer organisations and like any, it’s hard to get people engaged and involved, so having juniors who’ve got the bug and want to go on to senior it’s huge.”
The most recent training session at Hillcrest CFA taught the juniors how to perform a five-man gas attack, which firefighters use to isolate a gas bottle.
Mr Kerford said it is a chance for kids to experience what might have been a childhood dream to become a firefighter.
“In emergency services, whether it was police or CFA or SES, we all had that little bit of kid sort of in us saying ‘Oh this looks like fun’, and obviously we do some pretty serious stuff but it’s good for kids to try,” he said.
“We’ve had kids come through who have not been very confident in themselves and it has certainly helped them build that confidence within themselves for later in life, whether they went on to join their local brigade or not.”
Anyone interested can find out more about the Junior Volunteers program and apply to join at: cfa.vic.gov.au/volunteers-careers/volunteer-with-cfa/apply-to-volunteer.
