Inside Week 5 of the VPP program

Thanks to the Investing in Women Fund from the NSW Government, the first ever Vocational Pathways Program is taking place at Kemps Creek, Western Sydney. This eight-week program allows students to gain weekly exposure and learn exactly what it takes to have a rewarding fire and emergency career. 

Girls on Fire is providing an update of how the Vocational Pathways Program is tracking with a showcase of week five!

Why diversity matters

Fire and Rescue NSW firefighter, Indigenous advocate, and Girls on Fire’s Cultural Inclusion Advisor, Peter Jensen, headed straight from shift to share not only his experience of life inside fire and emergency, but also his own diverse career path and cultural skills with the eager students.

PJ talked about his transition from footy player to mechanic, via the juvenile justice system, youth work, and enjoying the last ten years of his career in Fire and Rescue NSW in Western Sydney. He talked about the importance of communication, empathy, patience, and how a team is made from an array of special skills that each individual in his team brings to emergency services with humour and honesty.

Top tips from PJ on life inside fire and emergency included:

1.      Coffee is the cornerstone to great team connection and communication. Making sure you have time for each other outside callouts a big part in teamwork when the pressure is on.
2.        Different strengths make teams what they need to be. At any given call, the ability to read maps and navigate, comforting upset community members, applying critical thinking, using force and strength, crawling into small spaces, listening, being proactive about chores, competency, creating a safe culture free from gossip or division, filling in reports and incident management, cleaning, and working well with others even when stressed, stretched or fatigued play a role. Knowing what your strengths are and what other people’s strengths are and valuing this teamwork makes doing your work easier.
3.        You are “already starting your apprenticeship in life…so work on it as though you are…” Doing 60% of the job is getting it done, 80% shows you are on the track to leadership, and 100% is unsustainable and unhealthy. Choosing where you fit and “working on your brand” when you work with others sets you apart.

Learning culture

Not only is PJ a great leader, firefighter, and mentor, he’s also a proud Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander man who loves sharing his culture while busting some myths and misconceptions.

He highlighted the diversity of the 200+ Torres Strait Islands, the 500 Aboriginal nations, and the significance of land, water, sea, animals, songlines and stories to First Nations.

Using a yidaki (incorrectly labelled as a didgeridoo), PJ showed his musical abilities while also giving us a tutorial to remember on cultural burning via coconut husk, coral tree wood, and First Nations strong connection to fire and disaster management, and science.  

Protecting the village with NPWS

National Parks and Wildlife always bring an extra special something to every class they teach and today was no exception. Adrian Johnstone (Team Leader, Rangers) and Nic Fletcher (Field Officer, Sydney South) brought a simulated village made from Hessian and other materials to show the importance of controlled burning and fire breaks in keeping people, property, places, and animals safe. 

This hierarchy supports both long-term planning (like hazard reduction burns) and emergency response.

1. Life (People First)
   This is always the highest priority. It includes the safety of residents, visitors, and emergency personnel. Evacuation routes, safety zones, and communications are prioritised to ensure lives are protected above all else.
2. Property (Built Assets)
   This includes homes, buildings, and critical infrastructure such as hospitals, schools, and telecommunications towers. Both public and private properties are considered. Fire planning often includes creating asset protection zones around these areas.
3. Environmental and Cultural Values
   Natural assets such as endangered species habitats, sensitive ecosystems, and water catchments are protected where possible. Cultural heritage areas, including Aboriginal sacred sites and historical landmarks, are also prioritised. These areas may have fire exclusion zones or be managed with low-intensity prescribed burns.
4. Infrastructure and Services
   This includes roads, powerlines, water supply infrastructure, and transport corridors. Protecting these ensures that evacuation and emergency operations can continue safely and effectively.
5. Hazard Control
   This refers to managing areas that could increase fire risk, such as dense fuel loads or difficult terrain. Firebreaks, fuel reduction zones, and containment lines are used to limit fire spread and reduce overall risk.

Before showing the science and practical nature of how the fire lines worked on their simulated village, they explained how lines and assets as well as hazards influence the choices made when a bushfire occurs.  

NPWS took VPP students through:

·       Lines: fire trails, containment lines, asset protection zones, and fire boundaries.

·       Assets: mapped locations of things needing protection (homes, infrastructure, sensitive environments).

·       Hazards: fuel loads, slope, wind direction, historical fire data, etc.

The simulation was set on fire to mirror a bushfire. Students were given jobs as fire lighters or as water bombing helicopters that worked to see how the lines helped keep people and places safe, the constraints when managing assets and hazards together.

Top tips from NPWS

•        “Sparkling death” is a nickname for flying embers used by some firefighters and emergency crews to describe one of the most dangerous parts of a bushfire. Those flying embers might look harmless, but their ability to float above the ground and then land to start spot fires in grass or where fuel is present creates significant risk. Always respect, and watch for, sparkling death as bushfires can be multi-directional and come from above!
•      Water-bombing helicopters need water to do their jobs. Working to conserve the water on board while choosing tactical targets to minimise risk to the people below is the aim of the game. During a bushfire, these clever pieces of equipment can also rely on public help to restock their water and keep fighting. Flagging water sources that can be used that helicopters can spot can and does help! From water tanks to backyard pools, we can all make a difference.
•      Ocean water and sewerage treated water are last resorts in a bushfire, but will be used if there is no evident, safe alternative.

Sandbagging with the SES

Nikki Ritoski, Community Capability Officer at the SES (Shellharbour) and her volunteers, Joanne Le (Media and Engagement - Liverpool SES) and Sue Buckland (Membership Support - Liverpool SES) showed the girls how each structure can be kept safe during floodwater. 

Choosing a structure on the site, girls put down plastic, talked through how to fill a sandbag properly, and learned the proper placement of sandbags to keep structures as safe as possible.

Before You Start

• Only use sandbags if your home is at risk of flooding. They work best for short-term protection in shallow water or slow-moving floods.
• Fill sandbags one-half to two-thirds full. Don’t overfill them—they need to be flexible to stack properly.
• Use sand if available, but soil can also work in an emergency.

Placing Sandbags Around Your Home

1. Doorways and Garage Doors

• Lay a plastic sheet (if you have one) in front of the door to help create a seal.
• Stack the sandbags in a brick pattern (staggered joints), two or three rows high.
• Flatten each bag and tuck the top under the next layer to avoid gaps.

2. Brick Vents, Weep Holes, or Air Vents

• Cover with plastic sheeting and secure with sandbags or duct tape.
• Stack sandbags if needed to hold the plastic in place.

3. Drains and Toilets (Backflow Prevention)

• Sandbags won't stop water backing up through pipes. Use a backflow prevention device or plug sinks and toilets where water could rise.

4. Low-lying External Walls

• Place sandbags at the base of walls where water might enter.
• Add a layer of plastic behind sandbags for better sealing.

Top Tips from the SES:

• Always work from the structure outwards.
• Make sure sandbags overlap and are tightly packed to form a barrier.
• Don’t reuse sandbags that have been in contact with floodwater—they could be contaminated.
• Dispose of used sandbags following your local council’s advice.
• Work as a team. Help each other, help your neighbours, and work together to keep each other safe.

Girls on Fire participant-led feedback activity

As part of the program’s commitment to staying youth-led, Rebekah, the Business Operations Manager for Girls on Fire, ran a 20–30-minute group conversation with students to gather feedback in a fun and meaningful way. Students were given the chance to reflect on their experience, both by writing down their own thoughts and discussing as a group.

To help students express how the program made them feel, they also used mood stickers as a playful and visual way to show changes in confidence, feelings, and engagement throughout their time with Girls on Fire.

The session explored questions like:

• What do you know now that you didn’t before?
• How has your confidence or view of yourself changed?
• Has your interest in fire and emergency careers grown?
• What might your future look like after this experience?

Rebekah reminded participants that they were in charge of the session—not the adults—emphasising that their voices matter most in developing new programs. This feedback, recorded with consent, will help improve future Girls on Fire camps and show the NSW Government the real-world impact of funding programs like this.

The goal? To ensure the program stays relevant, valuable, and led by the voices of the young people it’s made for.

Where to next? 

The Kemps Creek VPP continues until May 23^rd. We were also lucky enough to have James Patrick Photography come on the day to take photos and videos, so stay tuned for those as they roll out on the blog and social media!

Interested in how Girls on Fire can introduce students in your region to vocational careers in fire and emergency in a fun, interactive way?

 Stay tuned for more updates from the VPP or get in touch today!

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