JUNIOR Frankston firefighters competed at the CFA/Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria state championships last weekend, for the first time in nearly 30 years.
A Frankston Fire Brigade junior team has not competed at the event since 1995. The junior team competed at the 2023 State Urban Junior Championship in Mooroopna on 18 and 19 March.
Team coach Melissa Gourley said “the kids kept asking if they could go and we’ve had enough expressions of interest to fill both under 14 and under 16 teams. We’ve got a few aged 16 who will be too old for junior championships next year so this was their big opportunity.”
“They will be competing, but more so they are going for the experience. We want to give them an opportunity to have a different type of activity and to be part of the bigger picture of the brigade. They are a brand-new team so we don’t expect them to compete in every event or win everything, but being part of it will be a great experience,” she said.
Gourley said the junior team has inspired senior members of the brigade to compete. A senior team from Frankston hasn’t competed for more than a decade.
“The brigade is happy for the juniors to be involved. There are a lot of seniors interested in running so this might pave the way for a senior team to return,” she said.
Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria CEO Adam Barnett says that firefighter championships date back to 1873. “The junior championships are a proven training pathway that encourage young CFA volunteer members aged between 11 and 16 years of age to learn many of the skills that volunteer firefighters use every day,” he said.