The Girls on Fire team are humbled and grateful for all the recent coverage from our first ever Victorian Fire and Resilience Program.
Creswick has been chosen to trial a new program to encourage more teenage girls to take up firefighting and other emergency services work. Thanks to senior journalist Gabrielle Hodson from the Courier and photographer Adam Trafford.
Professional firefighter Bronnie Mackintosh could not let the stereotype go unchallenged, that to be a firefighter in Australia you need to be “a burly man”.
The former Wallaroos rugby player decided that rather than focus solely on pushing herself up the career ladder, she would put into action her desire to see more women get a place in fire and rescue services by igniting the passion of girls. A stellar piece from Wendy Tuohy from the Age, a senior writer focusing on social issues and those impacting women and girls.
The Victorian School of Forestry in Creswick hosted the state’s first edition of camp over the weekend, with 10 girls from around the region attending.
“We’ve been using the fire and emergency services, skills and operations as a platform to teach these young women to have the confidence to step forward in any emergencies,” Ms Mackintosh said. Thanks so much to ABC’s Rio Davis for making us so welcome.
We also had the pleasure of having one of our program participants talk to Steve Martin on the morning show at ABC Ballarat about her experiences.
We loved the enthusiasm and how readily the young people and fire and emergency service volunteers adopted Girls on Fire. You made us feel extremely welcome. Special hit tip goes to the Victorian Country Fire Association CFA for their unreserved and amazing support. Thank you for making our maiden voyage with our Fire and Resilience program such a roaring success in Victoria.
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.
