Bushfire Recovery Project

The workshops provided best practice, trauma-informed training to help frontline workers and community leaders to support community members’ recovery from the bushfires, as well as supporting their own resilience and wellbeing. You can find out more about these workshops (Trauma-informed Care [TIC], Psychological First Aid [PFA], Supporting Individuals after Disaster [SID], Skills fOr Life Adjustment and Resilience [SOLAR] recovery program, and Trauma-focussed Cognitive Behavioural Therapy training [TF-CBT]) on our Education & Training page.

Shortly after our Bushfire Recovery Project was launched in the wake of the devastating 2019/20 Australian bushfire season, the COVID-19 pandemic hit Australia hard. The pandemic compounded the mental burden of people already impacted by disaster while simultaneously acting as an obstacle for free face-to-face training workshops in bushfire-impacted areas. Working quickly, we pivoted the program to be deliverable online via Zoom as well as face-to-face, ensuring training could be implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic, a time when access to mental health support was more important than ever. 

We ensured that essential content was accessible to those across the country in spite of the effects of public health restrictions. In addition to Zoom training, we offered flexible, fully online training which could be completed at a pace that suited individuals or their organisation. The content delivered for each training workshop was developed with input from emergency services workers, general practitioners, and a range of other frontline workers to ensure that those who needed the training most would feel seen, heard and supported.

The online training additionally enabled people of all abilities to participate and reap the benefits of the training, including differently-abled people. We didn’t want factors like cost of travel, physical impairment or those struggling with anxiety disorders or other mental health issues for whom face-to-face training wasn’t an option to miss out. We also offered ‘blended’ training, consisting of a mix of online and face-to-face training to cater to those seeking some facetime with trainers but with limited capacity to meet in person. Transcripts were created for every video element of the training. 

An additional online self-paced version of each training offering was developed to ensure those juggling multiple responsibilities such as parenthood, carer responsibilities or with alternative preferred learning styles could be included. The case studies used in the training workshops were created with contributions from these groups, as well as input from the first-nations community to ensure the training was culturally safe for all attendees. 

The project was piloted with Victoria State Emergency Service (VICSES) workers and volunteers to ensure the training met the needs of a diverse range of people. Our aim was to be on the ground and work directly with communities to develop training tailored to them, so we ensured the training materials were adapted to participant needs that arose as the training progressed

Though the Bushfire Recovery Project was designed to build the resilience of communities impacted by the 2019/20 Black Summer Bushfires, it has additionally supported these communities with disasters taking place before and after those fires. This includes the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the Black Saturday bushfires of 2009. These communities are the direct beneficiaries of the project, with access to training and resources that help them to help others in the community. 

Since launching, approximately 3500 frontline workers and community leaders now have access to free, expert-led and best practice training. In 2022, the Victorian Bushfire Recovery Project was the recipient of the Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience’s Resilient Australia National and State Mental Health and Wellbeing Awards.