Teaching young people about disaster and emergency planning has both immediate and longer-term benefits, indicated through research across both the Emergency Management and Teaching sectors. Traditionally, Emergency Management agencies have taken a lead role in the development & delivery of programs for students.

While CFA provides comprehensive fire safety programs in schools, it is difficult to service every student in every school, as Victoria’s volunteer Brigades grapple with issues around sustainability, recruitment, availability of volunteers during business hours, and increasing community needs. And while schools are generally willing and capable of delivering safety programs to their students, there has been a lack of available support and materials for home and bushfire safety, aligned with foundational Australian Curriculum in Victoria, available to teachers.

CFA recently conducted a program of engagement with teachers in selected high bushfire risk areas, which highlighted the need for more curriculum-based lesson planning material and support. A considerable amount of negotiation occurred with school Principals and teaching staff, which ultimately led to a pilot program for teacher-delivered fire safety education being undertaken in 2014.

The project sought to explore the gaps in CFA’s existing schools program delivery model and aimed to provide tools and support to teachers, enhancing their ability and capacity to deliver fire safety education to their students, thereby increasing the number of children who receive opportunities to learn about home and bushfire safety. Consequently, the project evaluation showed a significant increase in both teacher and student participation in fire safety education and emergency planning.

CFA is now exploring ways to expand on this model of shared responsibility for delivery of safety education into schools, by incorporating into it other hazards and engaging other subject matter experts. The vision is to make this work available to the Victorian schools sector and beyond.