The West Pittwater Brigade is one of a number of brigades within the Northern Beaches District of the Rural Fire Service. The Bush Firefighters (BFF) currently number 76 operational members (17 females and 59 males).
Long perceived as a male-dominated service, the RFS in recent years, has seen some welcome changes.
Kylie Stackhouse, a member of the West Pittwater brigade for 28 years, has noted that the percentage of female firefighters completing the BFF assessment is increasing each year and West Pittwater is no exception. “I have been training and assessing on the NB District BFF course for 25 years and have noticed an increase of the number of women and girls joining, especially in the last 10 years. There is also more of a retention rate amongst female members, with more progressing to advanced courses like CABA (Compressed Air Breathing Apparatus), Crew Leader and Group Leader.”
“The number of female leaders in the last 10 years has also increased, with nearly every brigade having at least one female officer”. Kylie said “Currently, more than half of the 17 brigades in the Northern Beaches (NB) Region have at least one or more female Deputy Captains, with four brigades electing a woman as Captain for the 2023/24 year. There are also three brigades that have had a woman as either a Captain or Deputy Captain since 2000.”
It is no longer uncommon to have all-female crews running Hazard Reductions, Strike Teams and other incidents. There are also plans to arrange for all-female crews of the various Water Brigades to put their hands up to volunteer to do a night shift at Terrey Hills on the Flyer (“The Flyer” is a first response RFS firefighting vehicle based at Terrey Hills and is crewed 24/7. The Flyer crew’s role is as an emergency response team for fires, motor vehicle accidents etc.)
During Covid, a private Facebook Chat Group was set up for all women firefighters in the NB region. with the aim to connect, inspire, support and motivate all women firefighters and support brigades in the NB District. Initially set up to keep everyone in contact during lockdown, it has since grown to include ladies-only training nights on such things as hose rolling and bowling for smaller weaker wrists; pumping refreshers for both the District Pumpers, Cat 6 and Bulk Water vehicles and fire safety training for Communications and Catering Brigades. Discussion groups have been held on various female-related issues such as how to manage periods & toilet breaks on the fireground. This is a vitally important topic as rehydration is constantly drummed into all firefighters but women may potentially hold back because of the lack of privacy. A failure in such a simple area leads to dehydration, heatstroke and major medical complications.
In addition to Operational RFS Units , many brigades now have Community Fire Units (CFUs). The CFU Units provide a defence level of training for community members who do not necessarily want to go out on the fireground but would like to be involved in the protection of their homes and environment.
CFU units were set up in 2014 with Roy Atkins and Melinda Broughton being instrumental in getting the CFU set up on the Western Foreshores. The West Pittwater Brigade has one of the largest CFU Units in NSW with a total of 65 members – 40% of which are female.
Sandra Lazarides who is the West Pittwater CFU Coordinator (assisting the CFU Leader Roy Atkins.) said of the CFU “Living in an offshore bush environment, I wanted to equip myself with the knowledge of what to do in a bushfire.”
“The CFU was a good fit for me, I wanted to be a support to our neighbours and community.” “The RFS equips you with PPC (Personal Protection Clothing) and the basic knowledge of what to do, should the need arise”. “As a CFU my commitment is also limited to just a couple of times a year”
So, if you have long considered joining the brigade but were hesitant, jump on in, learn some new skills and help protect yourself and your neighbours.
To join The West Pittwater CFU unit, you simply need to complete an online application.
To complete the application:
- Join the RFS via the online application form
- indicate you wish to join the West Pittwater Brigade
- indicate you wish to be a CFU rather than RFS – (The application Process is the same.)
- Alternatively contact your local Brigade. For West Pittwater CFU contact: CFU@westpittwater.com.au
Feature Image: Kylie Stackhouse (left) and Caryn Thomson during Community CPR Training