Public invited to free Bushfire Community Day

Wednesday, 19 October 2022 12:29

By Monique Welhan

The Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) invites the public to its second Bushfire Community Day on Sunday, October 23.

The free event will be hosted at DFES’ Bushfire Centre of Excellence facility in the Peel Business Park from 10am to 3pm.

Chief Superintendent Bushfire Centre of Excellence John Tillman AFSM said he hoped the public would head down for a day of family-fun activities and informative presentations and displays.

“The Bushfire Community Day will give people the chance to understand and plan for their bushfire risks, while also providing a behind-the-scenes look at DFES,” Chief Superintendent Tillman said.

“We will have experts on hand to help the community develop their bushfire plans on the My Bushfire App, learn how to build a firewise garden, better understand the triple zero reporting process and even how to prepare their animals for a bushfire emergency.

“We are excited to also welcome the Australian Red Cross, WA Police and other key agencies to share how they support communities during emergencies.”

Attendees will gain an insight into cultural burning activities, hear from WA Police's bushfire arson squad Strike Force Vulcan and get an up close and personal look into how first responders are trained to deal with a burnover situation.

The clever canines of the Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Unit and members of the Emergency Services Cadets Core will also complete a series of demonstrations to showcase their skills.

Other family-friendly activities include rides in the RAC Rescue helicopter simulator, a firefighter obstacle course, a virtual bushfire experience, face-painting, hands-on tours of firefighting trucks and an animal farm.

The event is free but is ticketed so community members are strongly encouraged to register prior to Sunday.

More information on registering can be found here.