Story and photos by David Weir, CALD Coordinator, NSWFB
On Friday 16 October 2009 an Emergency Services Expo was held in Parramatta Park with the NSW Police, Rural Fire Service, State Emergency Service, Ambulance Service of NSW, Red Cross, NSW Fire Brigades and Parramatta Rotary in attendance.
Representatives from the Baulkham Hills/Holroyd Parramatta Migrant Resource Centre, the local council, including Lord Mayor Cllr Paul Garrard, and the Federal Minister for Parramatta Julie Owens also attended with the aim of helping people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities to understand the role of emergency services in the community, the work they do, and career opportunities.
NSWFB firefighters from 72 Merrylands demonstrated the dangers of kitchen fires, using one of the NSWFB’s new kitchen fat fire simulators, while firefighters from 57 Wentworthville delivered the NSWFB’s RescuED program, which highlights the importance of road safety with a hard-hitting education session.
The NSW Police Force conducted a demonstration with one of their Police Dog Units
The Emergency Services Expo was attended by approximately 600 people from various CALD backgrounds including Sudanese, Afghan and Syrian, just to name a few, building their capacity to prevent and prepare for emergencies.
This activity was undertaken by ACT’s Jurisdictional Community Partnership project, a component of AGD’s Inclusive Emergency Management with Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Communities Program.
Further information regarding this program can be provided by contacting AGD’s CALD Project Officer on (03) 5421 5295