MEDIA RELEASE
For further information please contact:
Jennifer Roberts
0400 919 778
jroberts@mfb.vic.gov.au
13 October 2009
Two big wins for fire safety across Australia
Julie Harris, Community Ageing Strategist from MFB’s Community Education department, last week
accepted the major accolade, the RACV Award for Excellence at the annual Fire Awareness Awards at the
RACV Club, for her contribution to the Community Services Training Package project which was led by the
MFB.
Ms Harris was also honoured with the prestigious Laurie Lavelle Award at the Australasian Fire Authorities
and Emergency Services Council (AFAC) conference on the Gold Coast on 21 September; for her work on
the Community Services Training Package as well as her work in coordinating research and raising
awareness of the effects of hoarding in the Melbourne Metropolitan Fire District.
The community services training package project is believed to be a world-first project, which with the
support of AFAC was centrally developed to embed basic home fire safety into 49 nationally recognised
community care training qualifications.
This includes qualifications in the areas of aged care, disability services, social housing services, child
protection, youth services, mental health services, active volunteering and pastoral care, delivered across
every state in Australia.
The information in the training packages covers basic home fire safety, including awareness about smoke
alarms and people who are at high risk in the case of fire – basic information that can be crucial for the
prevention of and survival in the case of a fire.
Ms Harris was gracious in accepting the awards, saying that for her, the real achievements were in the
projects themselves.
“The magnitude of the community services training package project is huge,” she said.
“The Certificate IV in Aged Care qualification alone is undertaken by 60,000 people across Australia each
year.
“This has the potential to raise awareness of and make a difference to fire safety and preparedness in tens
of thousands of homes and businesses across the country.”
Ms Harris has also been instrumental in achieving the publication of the MFB report, An Analysis of Fire
Incidents Involving Hoarding Households.
The report highlights the occurrence of hoarding house fires right across Melbourne and the impact these
have on the added life risk to the occupants.
Commander Frank Stockton, Manager Community Education, said that the MFB were very proud of Ms
Harris’ accomplishments across the two projects.
“She has put in a tremendous amount of work across both of the projects, which will go a long way toward
promoting fire safety, preventing fires and saving lives right across Australia,” he said.
“She is a very deserving recipient of both awards.”
The Fire Awareness Awards are a joint initiative of MFB, CFA and DSE and proudly supported by RACV
Insurance, which publicly recognise the success of fire safety initiatives by individuals, fire agencies, groups
and organisations, in Victoria.
The Laurie Lovell Award recognises the outstanding efforts of an individual who has contributed significantly
to enhancing the knowledge, skills, operations, performance or public profile of the fire and emergency
services in Australasia.
NEWS 
