Driving Force

by SANDI MILLER
25th November 2024

ONE OF THE most dangerous aspects of firefighting can be getting to the fire.
Taking the wheel of a 10-tonne heavy vehicle filled with thousands of litres of water requires skill and training.
Now, CFA is boosting its driver training capability across Victoria with 10 new driver training trucks along with additional driving educators.
The first of the dedicated driver training trucks were officially handed over to CFA by the Victorian Government.
Parliamentary Secretary for Emergency Services, Sheena Watt, said the initiative is part of the $8.84 million “upskilling and protecting our volunteers” program and $2.2M for the 10 new driver training vehicles.
Deputy Chief Officer Operational Doctrine and Training Rohan Luke said the new custom-designed driver training trucks will be delivered to CFA training grounds across the state, providing greater access to driver training without needing to draw on operational vehicles.
“These trucks have been built to replicate the size, weight, and configuration of operational firefighting vehicles,” Rohan said.

“We’re one of the first Australian fire services to have purpose-built driver training trucks for our volunteers to use for driver training.
“Driver training courses are important for future capability within a brigade as they provide the key elements to ensure our drivers operate safely in high-risk environments whilst protecting Victorian communities.”

The 10 new trucks can be used for both on-road and 4×4 off-road driver training as they are self-sufficient, containing everything the trainer needs to deliver driver training.
The key to this driver training is its driver educators, who provide volunteers with both theoretical and practical skills needed to get behind the wheel of a fire truck.
CFA recently offered the first female-only Driver Educator Course(DEC), which six women have successfully completed.
CFA Commander State Driving Malcolm Hayes said this group of newly qualified women will soon deliver driver training to both male and female volunteers in their area and across the state when required.
“As a result of this female-only course, we will have tripled the amount of volunteer female driver educators in CFA which is an incredible achievement and asset for the future of driver training,” Malcolm said.

“While we always encourage any CFA members to undertake the course, we do find creating female-only courses provides a more comfortable space and environment for them to train.”

Four of these driver educators are based in Nillumbik brigades.
No longer confined to auxiliary roles, female representation in all areas of CFA brigades across Nillumbik is growing, with women on the fireground and in leadership positions in many local brigades.
Female driver educator and 2nd Lieutenant of Kangaroo Ground Fire Brigade Kate Lamble said CFA has a strong representation of women and should be encouraged to take on these challenges.
“I want to help break down those barriers and empower women to become CFA truck drivers and educators, creating a more equal representation across the organisation.”
Kate told M&N Bulletin she recently ran a come-and-try truck driving day at Sugarloaf Reservoir for female volunteers in Nillumbik brigades to give women a taste of getting behind the wheel.

“A lot of women don’t think that they can do it, and don’t even consider it to be an option, so days like that just show that it actually is easy to drive.
“Women feel a bit more comfortable when blokes are not around, they feel like it’s okay to make mistakes and ask the dumb questions — or what men may think are the obvious questions like, ‘what’s a diff?’ — it’s just because you’re not in that blokey world, where you’re doing mechanics and stuff like that.
“So, in having that opportunity to ask those types of questions, they can get a better understanding.”

She said training with men is not unsafe, “but it’s just a different environment that encourages women to get out of their comfort zone”.
“My motto is ‘you can’t be what you can’t see’, if we want more women to do these things, we need to show women we can do it, and we need to get women out there doing it,” Kate said.