On 11 November 2025 (yes, Remembrance Day!), the Girls Fire and Resilience Program spent the day in Dungog, giving local young people a chance to dive into hands-on fire and emergency skills. Even with a Total Fire Ban reshaping the plan, the group stayed curious, energetic and ready to try everything we could offer.
Here’s how the day unfolded at our day to remember in Dungog NSW!
We took the Girls Fire and Resilience Program to Dungog on 11 November and spent the day with ten keen young people who were ready to jump in and give things a go. Fire and Rescue NSW hosted us at their station, and they were excited to show off their great new space! We were also joined by National Parks and Wildlife, Ambulance NSW, local teachers and someone from council.
Only one of the volunteers had seen the program before, but everyone turned up with good energy and a genuine interest in being part of something local. The vibe across the day stayed friendly and curious!
The only downside? A Total Fire Ban meant we had to skip a few activities and missed some agency involvement. Even so, the day stayed upbeat and full of learning.
What We Wanted to Do
The aim was simple: give young people a hands-on taste of emergency skills, teamwork and resilience, and help them see what fire and emergency services actually do. We wanted them to try new things, build confidence and have fun doing it.
How It Played Out
The Fire and Rescue NSW station was a great fit. There was heaps of space, plenty of water, and a good setup for the team gear relay.
Even with the fire ban, we still got through everything we’d planned. The radio activity and response scenario were crowd favourites, and the group stayed switched on the whole time. We didn’t have any safety issues either, which is always good news.
The volunteers were enthusiastic and proud to be involved, though having more agency resources would make future days even smoother.
What the Young People Got From It
The relay, hose work and heat-resilience activities helped build confidence and teamwork quickly. By the end of the day, several participants were already asking how they could get more involved and what opportunities were available next.
They rated the day 5 out of 5 for engagement and morale — and it showed.
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