New Juniors sign up across the state

STORY BY JEN CLEMENT

The launch of new Juniors recruitment material earlier in 2021 has bolstered recruitment across the state. Despite a tough 12 months of COVID-19 restrictions, many Junior brigades are now getting back into things and recruitment campaigns are proving successful. DCO Operational Performance and Capability Peter O’Keefe urged young people to think about joining CFA. “It gives them a chance to learn leadership skills, appreciate the value of teamwork and be part of an organisation that’s part of the community,” Peter said. “I’d encourage any young person to join CFA, whether it’s to run in competitions or perhaps end up becoming the brigade captain in the future. It’s a great opportunity to build the future.” Here are some fantastic recent success stories.

Narre Warren Junior Brigade

Narre Warren members discovered that local families were looking for something meaningful and community-minded to get involved in, so they launched a Facebook campaign to recruit Junior members. “This resulted in an influx of new Juniors into our program, showing how much our community holds the Narre Warren Fire Brigade in the highest esteem and trusts us to mentor their children through our program,” Junior Coordinator Paul Harms said. The Juniors are keen to learn all aspects of firefighting techniques used by the senior brigade, but the Junior leaders at Narre Warren complement this by teaching skills in leadership, friendship and teamwork. As one parent put it, “Our daughter loves her time at Narre Warren brigade, learning and developing new skills that can contribute not only to her own development but also the wider community. She has found the group to be inclusive and inviting and is something she really looks forward to doing.” Another parent explained, “Junior CFA has been fantastic for our son. Everyone was so kind and friendly right from the start. He just felt like he fitted right in, which has given him a big confidence boost. He has finally found one thing that he’s passionate about. You can tell by the way his face lights up whenever he talks about the Junior CFA.” In addition to the traditional structure of captain and two lieutenants, Narre Warren Juniors have mirrored the structure of the senior brigade and have now been divided into two platoons, led by a lieutenant, to introduce the Juniors to the way the senior brigade works. Narre Warren brigade Captain Travis Carter is impressed when he sees the Juniors training on Wednesday evenings. “My hope is that not only will they gain great skills and build friendships in the program, but they will also come through and become senior members when they are old enough,” Travis said. “Narre Warren’s Junior program has developed some of our newest firefighters in Adam Williams and Bodie Hardy, who both recently began turning out with the brigade as seniors.”

Modewarre Junior Brigade

A popular recruitment method is an open day, but for Modewarre brigade it was a Meet Your Neighbour Day. Organised by the Moriac Community Network, the event was designed at help the local community get to know each other better, find out what services are available and what organisations you can join. Modewarre brigade members rose to the challenge, and in among jumping castles, face painting, scouting activities and lots of food was the brigade tanker.

“We set up hoses and had over 40 children shooting water at targets, and each one who had a go received a goody bag provided by the great staff at Geelong Headquarters,” Junior Leader Mark Reeves explained. “It was a fantastic day and a great way for the community to meet the brigade.” Getting out into the community and joining in with existing events or holding your own brigade open day can be a great way to recruit new members. It can also be a good way for locals to learn more about what brigades do for their local community, and for brigades to help people prepare for the fire season.

Gapsted Junior Brigade

To recruit new Juniors, Gapsted brigade members hit the road with their competition trailer, taking it to the local school and running events to show students what Junior members get up to. This has resulted in new Junior members joining the brigade. “Our brigade is an old brigade, a small brigade, and we need the young kids coming through,” Junior Coordinator Craig Hodgetts said. “There are so many skills they can learn but the mateship and camaraderie, just being part of a family, really connects with people.”

Gaining new recruits meant that Gapsted brigade for the first time in several years could enter a team into the State Championships earlier this year. They won a third place medal and the conduct award and had a great weekend away together as a Junior brigade. “I like it because it’s just like we’re all one big family and we all stick together and work as a team,” Junior member Zali said. “It’s really fun to do it with my friends; shoot targets and connect with my friends. It’s awesome.” The Gapsted brigade bus has been wrapped with photos of the Juniors and really stands out in a crowd, wherever the Juniors go. The brigade hopes this will help attract more interest and more Junior members. ß “We had nine kids last year; three boys and six girls. We aim to double that this year just through word of mouth from the kids as they have so much fun,” Craig said.

Ararat Junior Brigade

Despite the hurdles of the past 12 months, Ararat Junior Brigade has bounced back by returning to a new fire station and getting back into the Juniors program. The Juniors winter program uses a combination of theory, practical learning and social events to engage young people of different ages. They have delivered sessions on hose bowling, hazmat, radio communications, team building, and ropes, knots and lines. The Junior members have also supported the local community by shaking tins for the Good Friday Appeal, delivering pamphlets for the Ararat Musical Comedy Society’s production of Snow White, and setting up chairs at 4am at the cenotaph for the Anzac Day dawn service. “We want to instil values of respect, resilience, teamwork and a sense of community, whether or not the kids decide to continue to be a part of CFA once they leave Juniors,” Junior Leader Tammy Ralph said. A recent recruitment program resulted in six new Junior members with another three interested in finding out more. The Junior leaders created a flyer and distributed it to local schools to put in their newsletters. The existing Juniors were also encouraged to bring a friend along to the training nights. “We’ve found that Juniors is a good fit for kids that don’t fit into the traditional sports of football and netball, etc. They may be too shy or anxious, so it’s a great way to include kids that don’t want to have pressure on them to win,” Tammy said.

Kyabram Junior Brigade

One of the Junior leaders at Kyabram brigade works at the local high school as an aide and is a great ambassador for the Juniors program. The brigade finds that most new Juniors join through word of mouth, but having that connection with the high school means that rapport can be built and young people know that the brigade is a safe place where they will be welcomed. Junior Leader Mick Compton explained the difference this has made. “We have several Junior members who are on the autism spectrum, which has taught us as leaders to be inclusive no matter what the child’s situation is,” Mick said. “My own son, who is a current Junior member, has autism which makes it my mission to ensure everyone is treated as an equal.”