Ararat Fire Brigade

Did you know that not all of our training at Ararat Fire Brigade involves hoses, fire scenarios, and property protection?

Being part of the CFA means much more than responding to emergencies — it means learning how to work together as a strong, effective team.

While teamwork is something we focus on during every training session, every now and then we like to step outside the operational environment and dedicate a night purely to team building and communication.

Thursday night was exactly that — and what a night it was!

Led by Firefighter Jeydon, members were put through a series of activities designed to challenge communication, trust, problem-solving, and teamwork.

The evening kicked off with charades… and let’s just say none of us will be collecting a Logie anytime soon!

Next, members were split into teams of three and given the task of assembling bolts, washers, and nuts while blindfolded. What we weren’t told was that all the pieces were different sizes, making the challenge much harder than expected! There were plenty of laughs along the way — especially when the Captain’s team dropped a washer on the floor and poor Captain Ash spent quite some time searching for it… still blindfolded!

The final challenge involved an obstacle course, where one team member was blindfolded while another guided them via radio communication to safely navigate obstacles and complete the task.

While sessions like these are full of laughter and fun, they also play a vital role in building the skills we rely on during real incidents.

Clear communication, trust, teamwork, and the ability to work effectively under pressure are all essential on the fireground.

Training nights like this provide a safe space for members to challenge themselves, strengthen relationships, sharpen communication skills, and, importantly, enjoy some fun together.

Because when it matters most, strong teams work best.

If there is someone in your house who loves a candle lit dinner (or candle lit anything) - make sure they know how to use them safely! 🕯️

If you are planning to use fire in the home, even better to make sure you have smoke alarms installed in any room a fire may be lit. 🔥

Today is Smoke Alarm Action Day, and together with fire agencies across Australia we are asking everyone to check their smoke alarms.

With recent house fires in our area, we are urging EVERYONE to please check your smoke alarms.

It is also recommended that all smoke alarms be powered by a non-removable 10-year battery.

Working smoke alarms save lives.

It only takes 2 seconds to push the button

Take action today.

If you have any questions or want more information, head to cfa.vic.gov.au/smokealarms Or message us and we will do our best to point you in the right direction!

Last weekend, three members from the Ararat Fire Brigade attended the West Region Women’s Challenge Camp at Cave Hill Creek.

The weekend was packed with fun and challenging activities, including ropes courses, raft building (yes… many participants ended up in the lake!), and an orienteering race to the finish.

But weekends like these are about far more than just fun. They provide an opportunity for women within the CFA to learn, grow, challenge themselves, and step outside their comfort zones. Participants also took part in workshops and panel discussions, hearing from other women across the organisation about the challenges they have faced and the ways they have overcome them throughout their CFA journey.

Attendees also had the opportunity to speak with CFA CEO Greg Leach about any questions, concerns, and ideas they had.

Prue, Peta, and Michelle returned home a little tired and sore, but with new friendships, valuable connections, greater confidence, and new strategies to support them in their ongoing CFA journey.

We’re incredibly proud of them for representing our brigade so well.

As well as being National Volunteer week, it was also ROAD SAFETY WEEK. 🚗🚙🛻

In the last 12 months, CFA has attended over 5,300 collisions.

In that number Ararat Fire Brigade has attended 35 calls to motor vehicle accidents. That is roughly 3 Motor vehicle accidents a month. More than 3 lives affected per month, not to mention the toll on our first responders, the families.

Our teams are fully equipped and ready to help when these incidents occur, but in a perfect world, we wouldn't need to attend any at all.

It takes all of us to drive real change, remember to take breaks on longer trips and slow down on the roads and when passing emergency services 🚒

📸 © AI

NATIONAL VOLUNTEER WEEK

This week marks National Volunteer Week — Australia’s largest annual celebration of volunteering, recognising the incredible contributions volunteers have made to communities across the country since 1989.

The 2026 theme is “Your Year to Volunteer.”

Here at the Ararat Fire Brigade, we are incredibly grateful for our dedicated team of volunteers. We would also like to acknowledge and thank the many volunteers and organisations we work alongside and support within our community.

There are countless organisations that rely solely on volunteers to help keep our communities safe, supported, fed, clothed, housed, connected and healthy.

If you have ever considered volunteering, now is the perfect time. You do not need to give up all of your spare time — every contribution makes a difference. Whether it’s with the Ararat Fire Brigade 🚒, SES Ararat Unit 🥕, your local neighbourhood house 🏠, Rotary, Lions Club, animal shelters 🐕, or any other community organisation, volunteering is an incredibly rewarding experience.

To every volunteer out there — thank you for the time, care and dedication you give to our communities each and every day. 👏🚒💛

Happy Wear Orange Wednesday to our friends at SES Ararat Unit! 🥕

Ararat (Including us!🚒) is lucky to have such amazing volunteers within your Unit!

*THE HIGHWAY IS NOW OPEN*

Please be advised Western Hwy is closed between Ararat and Buangor due to an incident.

Send a message to learn more

CFA and Fire Rescue Victoria are reminding Victorians to be aware of fire risks posed by lithium-ion batteries, after a recent house fire in Upwey 🪫

Keep your family safe by only using certified chargers, buying from reputable suppliers and charging in safe, smoke-alarmed areas.

Read more: https://news.cfa.vic.gov.au/.../victorian-homes-at-fire...
📸 Travis Easton
📍 Wurundjeri Country

CFA and Fire Rescue Victoria are reminding Victorians to be aware of fire risks posed by lithium-ion batteries, after a recent house fire in Upwey 🪫

Keep your family safe by only using certified chargers, buying from reputable suppliers and charging in safe, smoke-alarmed areas.

Read more: https://news.cfa.vic.gov.au/news/victorian-homes-at-fire-safety-risk-from-everyday-products

📸 Travis Easton
📍 Wurundjeri Country