SA Country Fire Service

Media release

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COROMANDEL VALLEY FIREY WOMEN

4/09/2013

The CFS will soon hold a series of bushfire safety workshops aimed at helping women prepare for the Fire Danger Season.

The workshops are part of the Firey Women program which gained national recognition in 2011 through the Australian Safer Communities Awards, will take place at Coromandel Valley.

CFS Community Engagement Officer Natasha Huber said the program has enjoyed great success and has been well received since its inception eight years ago.

"It was developed after the Wangary bushfires following research supporting a need to deliver bushfire safety information and education to women in rural communities," Natasha said.

"We recognised that on days of significant fires, it's common in many households for the men to be out fighting fires while spouses are left at home with children to defend their homes," she said.

"We were concerned that women were more likely to evacuate their homes with their children at the last minute which put them at great risk in the absence of adequate training or knowledge of bushfire safety."

The Firey Women program initially started on Eyre Peninsula and is now delivered throughout South Australia.

"The workshops provide women with the opportunity to learn new skills to protect their families and livelihoods, in a safe, non-threatening setting," Natasha said.

Topics include:
- Preparing yourself emotionally
- Understanding the new bushfire warnings and fire danger ratings
- Preparing a Bushfire Survival Plan
- Identifying hazards around the home
- Operating pumps and fire fighting equipment
- Bushfire behaviour
- Preventing injury

The next round of Firey Women workshops will take place at the Coromandel Valley CFS on Ackland Hill Road, between 6.30pm – 9.30pm on the following dates:

September 11, 18, 25 and October 2.

Anyone who is interested in taking part in a Firey Women session is encouraged to attend an information presentation at the Coromandel Valley Primary School on September 4 at 6.30pm

For more information or to register, contact Oshanna Moataz on 0428 114 233 or Natasha Huber on 0428 114 218 or by email huber.natasha@cfs.sa.gov.au by 5pm on Friday September 6, 2013.

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Media information
For media enquiries call the CFS Media Line on 08 8115 3531.

Government of South Australia