Schools in Fire Country empowers students with the knowledge and skills to ensure their local area is safer from bushfire. Research funded by the Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC, led by Dr Briony Towers at RMIT University and Prof Kevin Ronan at CQUniversity, found that for school-based bushfire education to be effective it must be holistic, participatory, action-oriented, place-based and collaborative. The development of a program that embodies these principles is a major paradigm shift for fire management agencies.
Schools in Fire Country is this paradigm shift – a school-based bushfire education program designed to empower Victorian upper primary school children to navigate the complexities of bushfire risk management. The program was developed and tested via a collaborative, multi-agency, cross-sector partnership between the research, education and fire management sectors within Victoria. It employed a human-centred, iterative design process that centred needs and priorities of educators, students and fire managers collectively.
The outcome was the development of a three-phase learning model and a comprehensive set of teaching and learning modules to support schools to implement the program in the classroom. This was trialled and iteratively developed with Harkaway Primary School in Victoria in 2022, which demonstrated that when quality, research-backed resources and localised support are provided, the contributions that students and teachers can make to bushfire risk management are wide-ranging and profound. This was further tested and validated at Chewton Primary School in 2023, along with Newstead Primary School and Heathcote Primary School in 2024. Harkaway Primary School plans to run the program again in late 2024.
A $650,000 grant from the National Emergency Management Agency’s Disaster Ready Fund is now enabling delivery of the program in more schools around Victoria, supported by the Country Fire Authority (CFA), the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action Victoria, and other local experts and connections. It will also support implementation of teacher professional development, fire agency capability building, a website housing classroom resource and further research.
“We’re just 11 and 12-year-olds and we made a difference. We told our community what to do during a bushfire and I think that’s the best thing that we’ve all learned.”
Grade 6 student, Harkaway Primary School
“Schools in Fire Country gave our students voice and agency through an incredibly rich collaborative partnership between experts and novices (the students). By taking this participatory and cooperative approach, our students were more likely to learn the lessons, remember them and do something with their learning before danger strikes.
The Victorian teaching and learning model captures what Schools in Fire Country has achieved. “‘All students are empowered to learn and achieve, experiencing high quality teaching practice that promotes learning and wellbeing, equipping them with the knowledge, skills and dispositions for lifelong learning and to shape the world around them.
As end-users of this research, Schools in Fire Country answers the number one question that drives our teaching at Harkaway: ‘Is there something so important to learn that we have to change the way that we teach?’ The answer is ‘Yes!’ The urgency for climate change education, and child-centred disaster risk reduction education, demands a response that is commensurate with the challenge. Schools in Fire Country is a crucial platform to that response.”
Leigh Johnson, Principal, Harkaway Primary School
“I’ve no doubt they’re much more skilled and empowered with knowledge about bushfire...the more we understand, the more knowledge we gain, we can ease some of that fear and anxiety. It also covered loads of curriculum. There was reading, writing, science, maths, geography, Indigenous perspectives, sustainability, art, digital technology.”
Scott Purdon, Teacher, Chewton Primary School
“As a key partner and lead for the Schools in Fire Country program, the Country Fire Authority has benefited greatly from the research that was undertaken over a six-year period. It has informed the programs design, providing an evidence-base for the development of effective, scalable and sustainable school-based bushfire education. Schools in Fire Country showcases true industry-research collaboration and has resulted in outcomes that will benefit children throughout their lives.”
Alen Slijepcevic, Deputy Chief Officer Fire Risk, Research and Community Preparedness, CFA
“I think as fire agencies, sometimes we underestimate the capabilities of children and what they are able to learn, what actions they’re able to take, what impact they can have in the community. We’re bringing that back into the organisation because we know now that it’s possible to get children really invested in these projects, and to develop a really deep understanding of bushfire and how they can make a difference.”
Neil Munro, Project Lead Bushfire Education, CFA