STATEWIDE NEWS
Turning up to turn out For teacher Matt Lucas and student Jordyn Polderman, completing their General Firefighter training was an important next step in being able to give back to their community. Through General Firefighter, CFA is preparing new members to safely perform their firefighting roles with passion, enthusiasm and commitment.
has completed General Firefighter, but he has one final assessment before he’s ready to turn out.
General Firefighter has replaced Minimum Skills Wildfire as the foundation training for operational members, ensuring they develop the essential knowledge and skills required to safely and effectively participate in their first turnout.
“I spent nine years as a reservist in the Army and we missed a lot of time together with the commitment for my Army training,” Matt said. “The great thing about General Firefighter and CFA training in general is that it’s an achievable level of training, and because of that I was able to allay her concerns.
A member at both Upwey and Bayswater brigades, 18-year-old Jordyn (pictured on the left in the photo) completed his General Firefighter training in late May 2021. He has already turned out with both brigades. “I’ve been to four jobs so far,” Jordyn said. “It’s amazing to get on the truck and keep learning. “My first call-out after completing General Firefighter was a massive highlight. I was in an English class when the pager message came through. I’ll never forget going past my school [Upwey High School] knowing my classmates were inside and here I am on the way to fight my first fire. “It was the final tick to me being an operational firefighter and it was a great moment.” Coming from a CFA volunteer family, Jordyn said joining the operational ranks wasn’t a question of whether, but a question of when. “I was hooked from a young age. My family joined CFA after the 2009 bushfires. Having that exposure to volunteering and seeing what my parents and brothers and sisters were able to achieve was all the inspiration I needed. “I joined CFA at 11 – the youngest age you can join. CFA quickly became a second family. There was never a doubt that I would move from the Juniors to Seniors and become operational.” Like Jordyn, Belgrave Fire Brigade volunteer and Upwey High School teacher Matt (pictured on the right in the photo)
He has lived and worked in the Hills for 20 years and has been a volunteer with CFA for two years. Like Jordyn’s family, he was inspired to join after the 2009 bushfires, but it took some time to convince his wife to support his decision.
“I was enrolled in the Minimum Skills program originally but because of COVID-19 restrictions I was unable to finish the course as planned so I elected to move across to the General Firefighter program. “I had completed some of the skills training in the Army Reserves but the components on fire behaviour and theory were new to me and just so helpful in terms of developing my understanding.” Matt said the highlights of the training for him were the hands-on skills development on site at his station and the consolidation day. “You’re learning with the people you will turn out with and using the equipment you will use when you turn out,” Matt said. “I feel confident to get on the truck and look forward to ticking that final box and being able to support my brigade as an operational member.” Matt and Jordyn were in the same General Firefighter course and completed some of their training together along with several other teachers and students from Upwey High School. “The first time Matt and I saw each other at a training night was a bit strange because it was a different dynamic, but it meant we were able to support each other,” Jordyn said. “Living in a small community, it’s not uncommon to see a familiar face
About General Firefighter Replacing Minimum Skills, General Firefighter (GFF) standardises training for all new operational volunteers at CFA, meaning we’ll all be on the same page. This is important, not just for our volunteers but our instructors, trainers and brigade captains.
traditional face-to-face classrooms, virtual classrooms and eLearning modules. As each mode features a common syllabus, this flexibility has enabled many participants to continue progressing through the program during COVID-19 restrictions.
The program includes theoretical and practical training, delivered in smaller modules and through a variety of learning methods and technologies. This streamlines a member’s training and learning, meaning there is less risk of losing a prospective volunteer during the training phase.
More than 670 new operational members have completed their General Firefighter training since the program began in October 2020. When the magazine went to press, a further 1,955 members were currently completing the program.
Members can choose the learning mode that best suits their needs and the needs of their brigade, including
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For more information about GFF, including how brigades and groups can support members going through the program, visit the Training page on Members Online.
