Category: MIL-OSI

Source:

Fire Equipment Maintenance (FEM) is a vital fire prevention activity and an important income source for many CFA brigades.

Source: New South Wales Ministerial News

The City and Family Immunisation & Travel Specialists (FITS) Clinic have partnered together to provide a satellite “pop-up” travel immunisation clinic for the wider Greater Bendigo community on Monday May 26 at the Strathdale Community Hub.

City of Greater Bendigo Acting Manager Community and Environment Sue Harrison said the satellite clinic will specifically provide local access to BCG (Bacillus Calmette–Guérin) vaccine, a live vaccine used to prevent tuberculosis (TB) particularly in babies and young children, without the need to travel to Melbourne.

“These types of immunisations are recommended for those travelling to countries with a high incidence of tuberculosis,” Ms Harrison said.

“People living in regional Victoria normally need to travel to Melbourne to get their travel immunisations as this service is not offered in regional Victoria.

“So this is a fantastic opportunity for parents with young children who are intending to travel overseas to these countries in the future, to receive the necessary travel vaccines in Greater Bendigo.

“FITS is Victoria’s largest private travel clinic for kids, comprising a team of paediatricians and immunisation nurses who specialise in travel medicine and immunisation and there will be costs associated with receiving the BCG vaccine.

“Families will also have access to the free, regular National Immunisation Program and flu vaccines provided by the City of Greater Bendigo at the satellite clinic in Strathdale.”

The clinic will take place between 9am and 4pm on Monday May 26 at the Strathdale Community Centre, 155 Crook St, Strathdale.

Patients must obtain a referral from their own doctor to attend the clinic and must book online as soon as possible.

To book online, visit:

Source: New places to play in Gungahlin

Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

Source: New South Wales Ministerial News

The City is offering a low cost, four week Women’s Self Defence and Situational Awareness Group program designed for women aged 55 plus to promote positive ageing in a fun, safe, and empowering space where they can connect and learn together.

City of Greater Bendigo Community Partnerships Acting Manager Nikki Williams said the program is subsidised by the City and will be delivered by local self-defence school Ova it.

“The program blends Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu-based techniques with practical situational awareness strategies and will equip participants with skills that focus on using leverage, timing, and energy efficiency,” Ms Williams said.

“These are techniques that work for all ages and abilities, recognising and assessing risk in different environments and setting boundaries using verbal and psychological strategies.

“Learning self-defence can empower people. It decreases fear and anxiety and increases confidence, sense of self-efficacy, and self-esteem and helps you feel stronger and more confident in your bodies.”

Classes will take place each Thursday from 5.15pm to 6.15pm. There will be two groups one starting on Thursday May 8 and running each Thursday until May 29 and the other starting on Thursday June 26 and running each Thursday until July 17.  

Participants must commit to a course of four sessions.

The cost of each session is $5 per person payable on the day via cash or EFTPOS.

Places are limited and bookings are essential. To book, visit:

Source: New South Wales – News

The death of Brevet Sergeant Jason Doig has had a profound impact on his family, the community and every member of South Australia Police.

This is particularly so amongst his colleagues in the South-East of the state where his loss is still deeply felt. Jason was a valued friend and colleague to many. He was also a respected member of the local community.

Jason’s death has also tragically highlighted the dangers frontline police face serving the community each day.

Police officers start their shift not knowing what their day will entail or what possible dangers they may face, but they confront each tasking knowing that danger is ever present.

While police are highly trained for all operational situations, unfortunately, more and more taskings now involve mental illness and have the potential to escalate, just like the incident that claimed Jason’s life.

This fact is not lost on every police officer involved in serving their community.

Jason’s family has been kept apprised of the discussions between the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Martin Hinton KC and counsel for the man charged with Jason’s murder and the attempted murder of Sergeant Michael Hutchinson. They were advised last month of the decision taken by the DPP and his reasons that the accused’s mental state was such that he was mentally incompetent at the time of the incident.

While the Supreme Court will now decide his custodial future, it is important to that note the offender has taken responsibility for his actions and admitted he committed the violent acts he was charged with.

South Australia Police appreciate the significant consideration this matter has been subject to.

Regardless of the outcome of this tragedy, it will be of little solace to Jason’s family, friends and colleagues who still mourn his senseless loss.

Source:

What binds CFA members is the common goal to protect lives and property. But they are a diverse bunch – every member has a story and Faces of CFA introduces you to just some of those stories.

KATE LAMBLE, KANGAROO GROUND FIRE BRIGADE, DISTRICT 14

What is your CFA role?

I’m the 2nd lieutenant. In the past I’ve been 1st lieutenant and the brigade training officer. I am also a District 14 driving instructor and trainer and assessor for General Firefighter, low structure and BA.

Why did you join?

I had grown up in a volunteer family with dad being a volunteer ambulance officer in the 80s. In those days the ‘special phone’ would ring and dad would race off and come back with lots of stories. I remember mum and dad doing a lot of bushfire preparation when I was a child, and my uncle was on summer crew with the then Forestry Commission.

Then as I was finishing my Masters and wondering what I would do with my spare time, we were faced with the 2005 bushfires in Gippsland. That was my trigger to join CFA and I have never regretted it. I remember my dad saying to me when I joined: don’t get on the back of a truck with a bad driver. He loved it when I got my truck licence.

Who have been your mentors in CFA?

There are too many to mention but those that stand out for me are Di Simmons from Christmas Hills for being amazing and showing me I could aspire to any role in CFA, and Steve Riley and Clem Egan at Eltham for teaching me so much. Not to forget Pete Grant at Kangaroo Ground and Lindsay McHugh from District 14 driving, for believing in me. Many other volunteers and career staff have also been mentors and they will know who they are.

What incident has had the greatest impact on you?

It probably goes without saying – Black Saturday. I was still a reasonably new firefighter and it had a profound impact on me. It taught me that you can’t control much in those situations and that situational awareness and crew safety are paramount. I was on the Eltham brigade truck that responded into Kinglake West just after the initial fire front went through.

I remember driving up from Whittlesea past the first burnt out car and thinking the occupants were lucky to get out. When we passed a third burnt out car on that small stretch of road I was hit with the reality that not everyone might have survived. That night was a steep learning curve.

The highlight was rescuing a scared and slightly burned dog who I handed to a police officer. Thankfully, the dog was reunited with its owner.

Many other incidents have had an impact on me. I love trying to learn something from every incident I attend.

What have been the highlights of your time in CFA?

Becoming a driver educator has to be one of my biggest achievements. I never believed in my wildest dreams I would actually drive a fire truck, let alone teach others. Being an educator and watching others develop is such a privilege, especially those I’ve known since Juniors.

The connections and long-lasting friendships that develop between members is also one of my biggest highlights. There is truth in the saying that CFA is family and to work alongside people you know and respect is one of my favourite things, whether at local calls, training or on strike teams. Having been a part of two fabulous brigades in a great group (Nillumbik) also helps.

How do you motivate your brigade members?

By doing. Not standing back and letting someone else do it. I love teaching and mentoring newer members and showing them what they are capable of. I also like to have a bit of fun and I think that helps. Doing things the right way is easy when you have a great group of people with you.

What lessons are you keen to pass onto other members?

CFA does not have to consume you. If you want longevity don’t say yes to everything! Pick and choose as there are endless ways to be involved. In turn, CFA can be a great source of stability when other parts of your life are a bit rubbish. For a time many years ago, CFA was the only constant I had. Also, you get out of CFA what you put in. You can dare to dream but always be prepared to hang off the end of a hose. That’s fundamentally why we joined.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

As a full-time working mum, my spare time is spent hanging out with my special people, my annual camping trip with friends, gardening and occasionally sewing.

Source: Premier of Victoria

Source:

22 April 2025

A brisk walk, a splash of water aerobics, or even a light jog around the block – if your heart rate goes up then so too will your brain health according to new research from the University of South Australia.

Conducted in partnership with the US-based AdventHealth Research Institute, the new study found that staying active through moderate-to-vigorous physical activity is associated with significantly better processing speed, working memory, and executive function in older adults.

Interestingly, the biggest cognitive gains were seen among people who went from doing no moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, to even doing just five minutes, clearly illustrating the power of exercise for the human brain.

Assessing data from 585 older adults (aged 65-80 years) in the USA-based IGNITE trial*, the study examined associations between time spent in sleep, sedentary behaviour, light physical activity, and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity across the 24-hr day, and cognitive performance.

Researchers identified a two-way relationship between ‘huff-and-puff’ physical activity and brain health: do more exercise and your brain health improves; but do less and it declines.

UniSA researcher, Dr Maddison Mellow says the study highlights how small changes to your daily activities can have big impacts on your brain health.

“There are three mutually exclusive lifestyle behaviours in the 24-hour day – sleep, sedentary behaviour and physical activity – and how these interact to influence our health outcomes,” Dr Mellow says.

“For example, we know that being more active can improve our sleep; or having a better night’s sleep could boost our energy levels to perform physical activity the next day. But what we don’t know is the optimal balance of time spent in each of these behaviours to maximise cognitive performance.

“In this study we explored how different uses of time impact your brain. We found that higher levels of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity – that is, activity performed at higher intensities that increases your heart rate and breathing – was related to better cognitive performance.

“Specifically, ‘huff-and-puff’ physical activity (like aerobic exercise) improves processing speed (how fast your brain thinks), executive function (how well you plan, focus, and multitask) and working memory (your ability to store information for short periods of time).

“Importantly, the opposite was also true: lower levels of this higher intensity physical activity were related to poorer performance on these tests.”

The findings were consistent across different genetic and demographic backgrounds. Interestingly, the findings did not extend to episodic memory (the what, where and when details of an event) or visuospatial function outcomes (your ability to recognise places and navigate through spaces).

Co-researcher, Dr Audrey Collins, says understanding the interplay between different activities could empower older people to make positive health changes.

“There are only 24 hours in a day, so every day, we make decisions about how we spend our time. For example, if we sleep for eight hours, then there’s 16 hours remaining for waking behaviours like physical activity or sedentary behaviour; that’s the basic reality,” Dr Collins says.

“Our results show that how we choose to spend our time across the 24-hour day may be differentially related to our brain health.

“Understanding that we need to prioritise physical activity – such as physical activity that gets our heart rates up, according to our findings – is the key.

“With one in six people in the world expected to be 60 years or older by 2030, we need to make sure we are supporting and empowering people to age well.

“In this instance, we hope that knowledge is power: boost your physical activity and boost your brain health to stay fit and well as you age. However, these results are cross-sectional and need to be tested longitudinally and experimentally.”

Notes for editors:

* The IGNITE study was conducted at the University of Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, PA), University of Kansas Medical Center (Kansas City, KS), and Northeastern University (Boston, MA) and involved a large, well-characterised sample of cognitively unimpaired older adults. Participants were, on average, 69.8 years of age, predominantly female (70%), and self-reported as inactive.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Contacts for interview:  Dr Maddison Mellow E: Maddison.Mellow@unisa.edu.au

Dr Audrey Collins E: CFD.ExternalComm@adventhealth.com
Media contact: Annabel Mansfield M: +61 479 182 489  E: Annabel.Mansfield@unisa.edu.au

Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

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