Founder Bronnie Mackintosh receives the Churchill Fellowship. Bronnie sets off to Canada, France, India, Japan, Sweden, United Kingdom and USA to learn how to promote and increase numbers of women and ethnically diverse people in Australian fire agencies. Bronnie experiences Camp Blaze and Camp Fury in the USA and sees the potential for increasing female participation and diversity in fire and emergency services in Australia through fire camps for teenage girls.
Bronnie pitches the idea of girls fire camps to NSW Fire and Rescue, NSW Rural Fire Service, SES, Air Services Australia and National Parks and Wildlife who are eager to lend their support. Firefighters Mutual Bank comes on as the first ever sponsor and the Firefighters Mutual Bank Girls Fire and Emergency Services Camp is born.
The first Girls Fire and Emergency Services (GFES) Camp is held at YMCA Camp Yarramundi in the Hawkesbury Valley, NSW. The camp ran for 7 days and girls participated in a full-on and fun timetable of theory and practical lessons on fire science, storm and tempest, trauma classes, extinguishing simulated fires, taking part in rescues drills, abseiling and raft building. Monash University comes on board as research partner for a qualitative study of the pilot girls fire camps.
Covid-19 scuttles plans for Girls on Fire to continue face-to-face fire camps. Virtually Possible is developed and delivered as a virtual fire preparedness and prevention program to maintain momentum.
Girls on Fire appears on the Living Room. Face-to-face girls fire camps are run in Brewarrina, Kemspey and Dubbo. Girls on Fire delivers customised virtual classes for NSW school leavers with support from the NSW Education Department and the Regional Industry Education Partnerships (RIEP) program.
Girls on Fire partners with National Australia Bank and Australian Business Volunteers to scale delivery in NSW while setting targets for national delivery of virtual, single day, residential and urban fire camps. Monash University returns as research partner to measure the impact of the Girls Fire & Resilience Program across resilience, fire management participation, recruitment and community engagement.
The Rainbow Fire and Resilience Program is held during Pride Month, welcoming LGBTQIA+ youth from Sydney and surrounds. New Zealand, Victoria, and Queensland experience first fire camps.
Girls on Fire is operational in all Australasian jurisdictions. Gender representation in urban fire services has increased by 100%. Fire and disaster preparedness, prevention and resilience in Australian communities has grown through stronger connections and better collective knowledge sharing and effective planning.
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.
