The end of school looms large over those final years. It can be tough to figure out who you are, what you want to be, and where you might fit in. The pressure to commit to extra study, traineeships or jobs can feel overwhelming. Especially if you can’t experience the work before you do the learning!
That’s where Girls on Fire comes in handy. Even if you’ve never thought about a career in emergency services, you get the opportunity to experience what it is like to test yourself, learn, and be in a team or a group in a way you never considered before.
But that’s not the only reason why you should try Girls on Fire for size.
Most of the girls who experience a Girls on Fire program do not know how amazing they are until they hit camp.
• Running and managing a hose from a fire truck
• Working with a team in a building with zero visibility to solve challenges
• Putting yourself through a series of physical challenges
• Cracking open a car wreck in an accident simulation
• Learn how to put out fires with all kinds of equipment.
But this is only the beginning.
• Build resilience, confidence, and leadership skills
• Work with a diverse group of people to solve problems
• Experience the potential of working in service of your community
• Envisage what you want after school
• Overcome your own fears and mental barriers to do great things
It is true that emergency services offer a career that can take you all kinds of places without having to rely on university. That’s great news if you want a temporary – or permanent – break from the books!
• Meaningful careers based on hands-on, practical work experience
• The chance to follow where your interests take you once you join - from frontline support to fire investigation, emergency training, community education, and more
• Training that is paid for by the service you join
• A place where technical skills, attitude, and people skills are all assets
Looking for a job where you can stay close to home? Girls on Fire introduces you to local people and networks that could be searching for their next volunteer or paid emergency services recruit.
Want to see Australia or the world? Emergency services can offer that, too!
Imagine if you had a career that let you stay in regional, coastal, or remote Australia and help your community. And that let you transfer your job across the state, around the country or even overseas when you wanted to move.
That’s what a career in fire and emergency services can offer. You can be there for the people and places you love when the chips are down. Or you can use it to find new people and places to call home.
Are you more at home at sports than in a classroom? You can put that love of exercise and teamwork to great use by:
• Using that energy and stamina to do physically challenging activities
• Use your agility and speed as an asset during accident simulations
• Test your endurance and show yourself what you can do when you put your mind to it
• Be a part of another kind of team. One where those skills in communicating, anticipating the play, and giving your all are respected and rewarded
Not all heroes wear capes – some wear the thinking caps filled with love of science, astronomy, and environmental studies. Fire and emergency services are fast becoming a popular choice for science lovers that want to work outdoors while making a big difference.
• How science and climate change directly influence disaster preparedness and response
• The nuts and bolts of on-the-ground fire and disaster prevention using science, environmental studies, and technology
• How to take action with sustainability and real action on climate change through helping communities manage disasters better before they happen
• The physics and science behind crash investigation, fire investigation, and more
• How a love of chemistry can see you work with dangerous chemicals, radiation, and hazardous materials response through hazmat work
Did you know modern day Australian firefighting relies on Indigenous knowledge of weather, science, astronomy, and community storytelling? It's that unique combination that kept this country safe, way back before pump trucks were even invented!
• Integrate Indigenous knowledge in land and disaster management
• Run culturally inclusive camps and represent with Indigenous mentors
• Work with a lot of Aboriginal and Torres Strait communities
• Are looking for Girls on Fire former campers to be future mentors
• Connect everyone who does a Girls on Fire camp with the rich cultural heritage and history of First Nations Peoples
If you want to be in a place where it feels safe and connected to Indigenous culture and knowhow, and how this connection to country can help you find a meaningful career, Girls on Fire cultural inclusion camps are the place to be.
You can find community and connection via programs and adults who really want to see you succeed.
• Be less alone through a sense of belonging and teamwork
• Feel valued and supported to try on something new and exciting
• Find mentorship and leaders that see you for you
• Explore who you are and what the future might hold when surrounded by the right people
In 2025, Girls on Fire ran its first program inside Reiby Youth Justice Centre, working with girls and boys under 15 to build confidence, connection, and practical emergency skills. The program was made possible through funding from the NSW Government's Investing in Women initiative and the support of Reiby staff and our cultural inclusion mentors.
If you’ve mentored at a Girls on Fire camp, please take 10–15 minutes to share how the experience influenced your approach to working with young people.
Girls on Fire has been invited to send a Girls on Fire camper to speak at Global Youth BOSAI Summit on May 17th 2025! Find out how you can apply now.
We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land where we work and live. Girls on Fire pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging. We celebrate the stories, culture and traditions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders of all communities who also work and live on this land.
