CFA’s training session, held at Wodonga TAFE Space, was part of a larger emergency service initiative organised by the Wagga Wagga council that included Victoria Police, Consumer Affairs Victoria and Murray Regional Health. CFA’s component was run by Qualified Firefighter Brett Myers.
During the session, participants were given information on creating a home escape plan, safety in the kitchen, general fire safety practices, and how to call 000. The session was conducted through an interpreter because most of the audience members have been in Australia for only three to six months and they speak very little English.
Wodonga Station Officer David Brown coordinated CFA’s involvement in the event and sees it as an exciting opportunity to share an important message with members of the community.
“This is the second time Wodonga brigade has been involved in this initiative. We have a huge Bhutanese community that’s growing all the time and it’s important to impart those key home fire safety messages.”
As David says, “the local community is not a transient one, they put down roots and have many family members coming across to join them. Some of them have never seen a smoke detector and they don’t understand that you call 000 when there’s an emergency. We’re really happy with how it went and for the chance to get those safe messages out to those who otherwise wouldn’t receive them.”
The session attracted media attention, with Prime 7 News attending and reporting on the growing Bhutanese population on the border.
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