Mat Dalby, Denmark Bulletin

“if one person takes one lesson from any of this and adds to their own preparedness, then the effort is worth it.”

Shire of Denmark Bushfire Ready lead facilitator Murray Brooker asks everyone to ‘be prepared and not regretful after the fact’.

Murray was speaking after the record turnout, about 1500, at the Bushfire Ready Denmark event on Saturday, November 1 with volunteer emergency services and the public taking over Strickland Street.

Bushfire Ready volunteers, the Equip project, the Shire and various emergency services delivered the event.

Murray described the turnout as comprising ‘the biggest and best bushfire preparedness event in the world’.

Stalls, emergency equipment displays and activities for the kids drew attendees along with workshops held in the Denmark Civic Centre.

These covered topics such as the new Australian Fire Danger Rating System, Shire mitigation strategies, and emergency planning for pets and livestock.

Department of Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner Darren Klemm and meteorologist Gianni Colangelo were among the speakers.

Event co-convenor Sally Inham said the Equip project focused on mental preparedness and creating community connections before disasters occurred.

It added an important emotional and social dimension to fire planning to improve community resilience.

Fellow co-convenor Em Harper said organisers were overjoyed by the community’s growing enthusiasm and willingness to get involved and to be educated about bushfire preparedness.

Veterinarian Lisa Clarke presented a popular session on ‘planning and preparing livestock and pets for bushfire’.

Co-convenors of the Bushfire Ready event said that feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with families engaging in activities, children exploring fire vehicles and attendees praising inclusive features such as a crèche and quiet zones.

Murray said the Bushfire Ready team would meet to review feedback and look at what could be added to the program.

DFES had confirmed its intention to participate again next year.

Preparation: ‘Every hour saves three’

Every hour someone puts into bushfire ready preparation saves volunteers firefighters three hours on the fire ground, Bushfire Ready Denmark event organisers say.

They plan to expand displays and add new workshops based on community feedback for future events.

Event co-convenor Em Harper, from the Equip project, said many parents who spoke to her appreciated the education they and their children had received.

“We are seeing children returning year on year now, and that gives us confi dence that those children will be better psychologically prepared should disaster strike,” she said.

“They now have strong relationships with their local emergency services volunteers, which means our presence with lights and sirens will be far less scary.” 

Residents urged to stay involved

Residents are urged to stay involved by attending the coming sessions and continuing to update their emergency plans.

Organisers are already planning new workshops to keep the community engaged throughout November and beyond.

From November 10-21, one-on-one sessions at the Denmark Community Resource Centre will help residents at ‘high risk’ develop tailored bushfire plans.

Another workshop, Firewise Gardening and Landscaping will be held on November 15 at the Denmark RSL Hall. Bushfire Ready co-convenor and Equip project member, Sally Inham said feedback from the main event highlighted strong community interest in diverse, practical sessions.

The introduction of the idea that more detailed planning may be necessary for people at high risk. The creation of a community hub that included the Red Cross, the Equip project and a Bushfire Ready stall had proved popular. For bookings and details, visit the Denmark CRC or events.humanitix. com/fwgl-denmark.

See all the pictures from the event in the issue.
This article appeared in Denmark Bulletin, 13 November 2025.