Enough is enough.

Fol­low­ing the 2018 Women and Fire­fight­ing Aus­trala­sia (WAFA) Con­fer­ence ​“Shap­ing the New Norm” the WAFA Board com­mis­sioned an Out­comes State­ment which was sup­port­ed by the Gen­der and Dis­as­ter Pod and was gen­er­ous­ly fund­ed by Emer­gency Man­age­ment Aus­tralia. The out­comes state­ment is a lega­cy state­ment and pro­vides insights on cur­rent best prac­tices, future direc­tions, actions and oppor­tu­ni­ties for women in fire­fight­ing. Dis­crim­i­na­tion and sex­u­al harass­ment against women in fire­fight­ing and emer­gency ser­vices were iden­ti­fied as a key area of con­cern. It con­tin­ues to be an ongo­ing area of con­cern for women in the sec­tor and as such should be a key focus for agen­cies and organisations. 


Expe­ri­enc­ing dis­crim­i­na­tion, harass­ment and/​or assault with­in a work­place can cause great harm, both to the women involved, and bystanders and can result in women leav­ing the sec­tor. When women do report, some expe­ri­ence fur­ther harass­ment and iso­la­tion. In addi­tion, good men who want to be allies are sim­ply not aware of how often dis­crim­i­na­tion, harass­ment vic­tim­i­sa­tion and assault are occur­ring or they lack the tools to be an effec­tive ally.


Bul­ly­ing, sex­u­al harass­ment, assault and intim­i­da­tion are not accept­able regard­less of gen­der, rank or agency. The actions of the few should not ruin the rep­u­ta­tions of the majority. 


WAFA acknowl­edges the work of organ­i­sa­tions like the Aus­tralasian Fire Author­i­ties Coun­cil (AFAC), the Bush­fire and Nat­ur­al Haz­ards CRC (BHN­CRC) and the Cham­pi­ons of Change group who con­tin­u­al­ly work in the gen­der equi­ty space to assist agen­cies with cre­at­ing mean­ing­ful change.


Recent reports how­ev­er high­light the fact there is still a long way to go in some areas. In par­tic­u­lar sup­port­ing vol­un­teers, to ensure that they have appro­pri­ate path­ways to report inap­pro­pri­ate behav­iours with­in the work­place and ade­quate sup­port, regard­less of their deci­sion to report. 


WAFA will con­tin­ue to advo­cate for safe work­places for all and to ensure every­one feels sup­port­ed and empow­ered with­in our sector. 


Prac­ti­cal Steps to End Sex­u­al Harass­ment and Discrimination 

  • Good response struc­tures to effi­cient­ly address inci­dents includ­ing a pol­i­cy for safe report­ing (includ­ing option­al inde­pen­dent third-par­ty report­ing mech­a­nisms), ongo­ing sup­port and a work­place cul­ture that stands up against harass­ment and dis­crim­i­na­tion. In a vol­un­teer con­text, these report­ing and sup­port struc­tures need to con­sid­er the ongo­ing safe­ty of the woman in the con­text of liv­ing in the same com­mu­ni­ty as a perpetrator(s).
  • Bystander train­ing to empow­er peo­ple to call out bad behaviour.
  • Respond­ing well is not enough. Best prac­tice to reduce harass­ment and dis­crim­i­na­tion aims to stop harass­ment and dis­crim­i­na­tion at the start. Pre­ven­tion strate­gies include gen­der equi­ty train­ing – tai­lored ses­sions for senior man­age­ment, mid­dle man­age­ment and human resources sec­tions to rein­force gen­der equi­ty in the work­place. In a vol­un­teer con­text, brigade man­age­ment must also be considered. 
  • Even with these strate­gies in place, women may still be exposed to sex­u­al assault, dis­crim­i­na­tion and harass­ment, and a as result leave the ser­vice. To gauge the preva­lence of inci­dents, and the impact they are hav­ing on women leav­ing emer­gency ser­vice work, exit inter­views might include a ques­tion specif­i­cal­ly on dis­crim­i­na­tion and sex­u­al harassment. 
  • The inclu­sion of anony­mous report­ing oppor­tu­ni­ties in staff/​volunteer sat­is­fac­tion sur­veys might pro­vide more details about the preva­lence and impact of dis­crim­i­na­tion and sex­u­al harassment.
WAFA Out­comes State­ment 2018

WAFA AGM

By Quinn Cramer • 09 Oct, 2023
WAFA AGM - Monday 4th December
Woman lifting weights

Physical Aptitude Tests: Fit for Duty

By Conference WAFA • 06 Jul, 2023
Tips on how to prepare for a physical aptitude test for firefighting and other emergency services from operational firefighter Melinda McDonald.
People waiting for an interview

Putting your best foot forward with STAR +LA

By Conference WAFA • 06 Jul, 2023
The STAR+LA technique for interviews can keep you on track, and ensure you demonstrate capacity to meet key selection criteria. Operational firefighter Melinda McDonald shows how you can use STAR +LA to put your best foot forward and be one step closer to your dream job.
Woman preparing for a video interview

7 steps to your best pre-recorded video response

By Conference WAFA • 06 Jul, 2023
Preparing for a recorded video interview question can be intimidating, but there are a number of steps you can take to prepare that will give you additional confidence and increase your likelihood of moving on to the next stage of the recruitment process. Operational firefighter Melinda McDonald shares some tips to ensure you deliver a confident and effective message.

Diversity and inclusion in emergency management: from policy to practice.

19 Dec, 2022
How do we effectively implement diversity and inclusion policies in emergency management sector practices?

Women in Leadership Forum

24 Nov, 2022
Well­be­ing Aus­tralia is proud to be host­ing a dis­cus­sion recog­nis­ing the impact­ful role of women in leadership.  Key themes of dis­cus­sion include; The future of lead­er­ship for women Per­son­al reflec­tions and growth for pro­fes­sion­al success Rela­tion­ships for success The holis­tic world of female leaders Chang­ing work­place culture Gen­uine diver­si­ty and inclu­sion across industries Youth and emerg­ing female lead­ers, gain­ing balance

2022 AGM

07 Nov, 2022
The WAFA annu­al gen­er­al meet­ing was held tonight and the new board was con­firmed for 2023:

First responder research

03 Nov, 2022
To the Australian community, our First Responders are heroes who are there for us in our most urgent times of need. The question is do we do enough in return to care for our First Responders and their families? While our First Responders seem superhuman, there is significant evidence that they face a high risk of psychological harm from constant exposure to traumatic events. In the past few years alone, our First Responders have been at the frontline as our nation faced the devastating 2019/2020 Black Summer Bushfires, 2022 Eastern Australia floods and the Covid-19 pandemic spanning several years. Research being conducted at the University of Canberra, is designed to find out how the stresses experienced by First Responders impact at home and how to protect the mental wellness of their children. Children of First Responders experience firsthand the effects of trauma on their parent or caregiver. With delays in parents and caregivers being able to access appropriate treatment services or programs, particularly in regional and remote areas, children are being exposed to increased levels of stress often for long periods, at a time in their lives when their cognitive development is crucial. In the first five years of life, the developing brain is most vulnerable to the negative effects of chronic stress. Young children who experience long term exposure to stressful environments are themselves at a higher risk of developing mental health conditions, including depression and anxiety, and at a much younger age. We see the impacts in their cognitive development, social relations, and academic achievement. Exercise has been shown to be an effective intervention for preventing and managing mental health conditions in adolescents and adults but there is currently little evidence on the benefit of exercise on mental health in young children. The benefits of exercise are widely known, and include a reduction of risk factors for cardiometabolic disease, specifically, elevated body mass index, blood pressure and blood glucose and insulin, as well as enhancing mood, concentration and general feelings of wellbeing. The University of Canberra is looking to demonstrate the benefits of exercise in young people, and explore the relationship between emotion and behaviour of the children and parents or caregivers from First Responder families. University of Canberra researchers are offering a free exercise programme to children between the ages of four and nine from First Responder households (in the ACT and surrounding areas) during school terms in 2022 and 2023. The research aims to contribute to improving our understanding of the benefits of exercise in young children particularly those children that may be exposed to higher levels of stress at a younger age. For more information or to sign up, go to www.healthmoodstudy.org or email rachel.venn@canberra.edu.au . Help us learn more about how we can look after the families of those who look after us. 

Wellbeing Australia - First Responders Summit

10 Aug, 2022
Well­be­ing Aus­tralia want your fresh ideas and feed­back for their First Respon­ders Well­be­ing Sum­mit 2023! Fol­low the link below to let them know what you think: https://forms.gle/GCJJKRiXLibkhJzR9

Professional Development Day AFAC 2022

17 Jul, 2022
FIELD TRIP | More than just holding a hose: diverse careers in firefighting
More Posts
Share by: