Kerry Senior the first female firefighting captain in 75 years
WHEN you think of a firefighter in a small rural town, odds are you’re thinking of a man.
However July 1 saw a milestone for the Fish Creek and District CFA when Kerry Senior was elected the first female captain in the brigade’s 75 year history.
Kerry has been an active volunteer firefighter in the Fish Creek brigade for 20 years and during that time has undertaken many roles such as lieutenant, training officer, truck driver, community safety coordinator, crew leader and specialist road rescue operator.
There are four operational female firefighters at Fish Creek ranging from 20 to 70 years of age.
Although some jobs can be more physically demanding than others, the members at Fish Creek work together to get the job done.
“There is a job for everyone,” Kerry said.
“It is understandable that not everyone wants to be at the end of a fire hose, however there are many roles that need to filled on each job such as truck drivers, radio operators, gofers, community education, traffic control and providing comfort to those involved.”
She joined the CFA at age 16 to be part of a local community group as she was not into sport and found the camaraderie of the close knit team accepting.
Over the years the technical, communication and problem solving skills gained have helped her in daily life, as well as a firefighter in the brigade.
“It is rewarding being able to help my local community in their time of need,” she said.
Kerry now looks forward to the challenge and opportunities that her new leadership role of captain of the Fish Creek and District CFA will bring.
If you would like to enquire about joining the brigade as a volunteer, come to a training night, every Thursday at 8pm at the Fish Creek Fire station or visit the brigade’s Facebook page.
To find your local CFA brigade, visit the CFA website www.cfa.vic.gov.au.
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Posted by Tayla Kershaw on Jul 30 2019. Filed under Featured, News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry
