Kalorama, Mount Dandenong and nearby areas saw devastating storms sweep through in July 2021.
Teacher Madeline Dundon had moved to the area only six weeks prior, and was confronted with the impact first hand; immediately starting volunteer work with the Kalorama Mount Dandenong Fire Brigade.
While making tea and coffee, Dundon soon saw the way first responders came together after the tragic event.
“The morning after the storm – I remember it so clearly – everyone just made their way to the streets…and that was when I was really introduced to the community,” Dundon said.
“It was this idea that idea of when you don’t have anything, or surrounded by technology or all the advancements we all have now, what do we actually have to focus on?
“Building up and making sure we have a strong foundation to thrive as a community… it always comes back to the people and the connection to country.
Inspired by the dedication of volunteers working from 6am in the morning until 10pm at night in the week’s after the storm event, Dundon soon got more involved in the brigade, collating data, evidence and information on what was happening in real time for houses that had been affected, door knocking and organising strike teams making the trip to the Dandenong Ranges to provide assistance.
It was a rewarding but intense time for Dundon, who soon began the training process to become an operational CFA member.
Part of that involved a live prop demonstration in Emerald.
“The one that we did was a mock cooktop, and another gas cylinder that could have been a barbecue, [or an] outdoor cooking space.
It was all of these different attacks that you would perform, and progress to the fire in a safe way, but feeling the heat of real flame, a really intense flame, was a really key moment.
I won’t forget that.”
After Covid related delays pushed what should have been a six-month training course out to 10 months, Dundon was able to graduate with her family and fellow District 13 recruits at Monbulk Secondary College on Sunday 10 July.
“Being able to actually have our live audience, our friends and family there to celebrate the hard work that we’ve been through was really rewarding,” Dundon said.
Dundon’s first turnout as an operational brigade member was a low-stakes Ambulance Victoria assist.
“We went to a hoarder’s house in the hills…It was it was quite easy for us to process our emotions and regulate ourselves to be able to attend and assist instead of being exposed to a high stress situation of fighting a fire immediately as a first turn out.”
Now with her general firefighter qualification, Dundon hopes to take advantage of CFA-run courses like Class A foam or a driver’s course, and is particularly looking forward to taking part in a chainsaw course next month.
“I’m quite excited to explore those different courses in my own time, and then gradually upskill and build that to my bank of skills to again use those experiences to help better myself, but also the different situations that we turn out to.”
“It’s very fulfilling…you have a bigger sense of purpose and you have that shared responsibility.”
