Valley Heights Rural Fire Service Brigade marked International Women’s Day on March 8 – celebrating the fact that three of its five newly-qualified firefighters are women.
Brigade captain Peter Linnegar and deputy captain Bec Price congratulated Tina Thomson, Hayley Stone, Sue Hayes along with Mark Murray and Gene Brennan on achieving their bushfire fighter qualification.
Shane Fitzsimmons NSW Rural Fire Services Commissioner stated in an email to all NSW RFS volunteers: “Within the Australian emergency services there has long been recognition that a diverse and inclusive workforce is fundamental to the way we work.
“Attracting and maintaining female membership is a challenge for emergency services but we are making good progress, with another increase in the proportion of our female membership over the past year."
As of March 2018 the Blue Mountains district has 2379 RFS volunteers; 695 are women.
For further information on your local RFS brigade and how to volunteer go to www.rfs.nsw.gov.au or contact your local brigade.