VICTORIA. — This International Women’s Day, CFA recognises and celebrates the thousands of women across the state who contribute to a safer Victoria.
Marked annually on March 8, International Women’s Day provides an opportunity to highlight the achievements of women in our communities, and reflect on the barriers and challenges faced by women across the globe and how we can take steps to reduce or eliminate them.
This year’s theme, “Give to Gain” encourages generosity and collaboration, a fitting way to celebrate the valuable work of volunteers who generously give to their communities every day.
One of these members is Geelong West Fire Brigade firefighter Catherine Eltringham, who joined CFA in 2023 when she wanted to do more in her community, now that her kids were a bit older, and being a volunteer firefighter seemed like a good fit.
“I’ve always been interested in community projects and volunteering, and I thought CFA might be the perfect thing for me,” Catherine said.
“It never crossed my mind to be anything other than operational – I was going to do the whole thing. I am an operational firefighter, and also now part of the brigade management team as well.”
Outside of CFA, Catherine is a doctor, working in general practice and as a medical educator. She has particularly enjoyed the training opportunities she’s been given since joining CFA.
“My favourite part of being a volunteer (apart from the Santa runs which I absolutely love!) has been learning so many new things,” Catherine said.
“Who would have thought that I needed to know so much about the weather, types of tree bark and how they impact fire behaviour. All these things I’d just never even thought about before.”
“In my work, I am often training doctors and GP trainees, so it’s been so interesting to see CFA’s training processes.
“I was nominated to do my truck driving license, and it had never crossed my mind that I would drive the truck – so that was awesome. I love driving the tanker, it wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be, and it’s a time when life experience really helps.”
Putting her career skills to use in CFA, Catherine recently held a webinar in her district looking at how people with periods and perimenopause can best manage these while deployed on Strike Teams. This was well received, and Catherine is hoping to expand this to other parts of Victoria in the future.
For Catherine, knowing she is backed by her peers makes a big difference for her.
“Our team at Geelong West are amazing and so supportive,” Catherine said.
“You can’t ever be entirely prepared for turning up to a job, but knowing that I have the training, knowledge, skills and people around me means I know I can handle whatever comes my way.
“At Geelong West, I’ve never been treated any differently, I’ve never felt that being female mattered at all. We are just firefighters, the same as everybody else.”
Acting CFA CEO Jason Heffernan said it is a key priority to ensure our members who are women have opportunities to thrive.
“International Women’s Day is a chance to recognise the achievements of women in our brigades and local communities,” Jason said.
“It is imperative that we provide an environment where women feel safe and supported in CFA at all times, and take steps toward gender equity in our activities every day.
“Women make up around a quarter of CFA’s member base, so while we continue to make changes to improve their experience we must also acknowledge we can always do more.”
Find out more about International Women’s Day here.
