Hundreds of people considering career firefighting visited the CFA stall at the Melbourne Careers Expo over the weekend (26-28 July, 2019).
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CFA Career Firefighter Briody Walker, FLAIM Systems trainer Sameer Deshpande and CFA Career Firefighter Jonathan Lui helping out at the Expo.
Students and people considering a career change were able to try their hand at putting out simulated house and car fires with virtual reality (VR) technology provided by FLAIM Systems. Trainer Sameer Deshpande supported CFA on Friday to utilise the technology, training other stall helpers to use the system for the remainder of the expo.
Visitors were also able to speak with CFA career firefighters Jonathan Lui, Shannon Zampaglione and Briody Walker during the expo, meanwhile collecting a free Keep Cup and information brochures about this enticing, dynamic career path.
Recruitment Advisor, CFA Career Firefighter Recruitment, Mary Camilleri estimated around 300 people visited CFA's stall, which was positioned alongside other emergency service agencies including Victoria Police, Ambulance Victoria, MFB and the Australian Defence Force.
"The Expo was a great way for us to encourage interest from a range of different people who may not have considered firefighting as a career before," Mary said.
"It was great to have some career firefighters helping us answer lots of questions and explain first-hand what they went through to apply and what it's like to be now on station. That face-to-face interaction, alongside a chance to 'put out' a simulated fire with the VR machines, was a really powerful way for us to get people thinking about applying - even if it's a few years from now when they're old enough."
