Australia’s first nationally consistent bushfire safety training for workers has been officially launched, giving employers and employees across the country access to a free eLearning module designed to help people make safer decisions before and during bushfires.

The National Bushfire Safety for Workers eLearning module was launched on Wednesday, August 19, and was developed by the CFA alongside an Australasian Fire Authorities Council working group.

It fills a long-standing gap in workplace safety training, with no nationally consistent bushfire safety resource previously available for workers exposed to bushfire risk.

The module is aimed at employers, work health and safety teams, government agencies and workers across a broad range of sectors, including health, aged care, disability and community services, education, local government, transport, utilities, agriculture, tourism, hospitality and emergency services.

CFA chief officer Jason Heffernan said the resource addressed a real gap for workers who were often in unfamiliar or high-risk environments.

“This national module gives them practical, consistent information so they can recognise risk early and make safer decisions before a situation becomes an emergency,” Mr Heffernan said.

The learning is organised around four topics — risk, prepare, travel and survive — helping workers understand local bushfire risk, prepare before entering high-risk areas, make safer travel decisions and know what to do if conditions deteriorate.

“The initiative strengthens employer duty of care by providing a ready-made learning resource that can be incorporated into induction, seasonal preparedness, travel safety and work health and safety programs,” Mr Heffernan said.

“It also supports broader community resilience because workers take this knowledge home and apply it when travelling with family and friends.”

The module builds on the CFA's original Bushfire Safety for Workers course, first developed in 2018, which has been completed by more than 25,000 people.

Feedback from those learners, combined with expertise from fire and emergency service agencies across Australia, informed the new mobile-friendly, accessible and scenario-based format.

AFAC chief executive Rob Webb said the initiative demonstrated the value of national collaboration.

“By bringing agencies together around consistent advice and making it practical for workplaces, we can help more people act earlier and make safer choices wherever bushfire risk takes them,” Mr Webb said.

The national rollout will begin with fire and emergency service agencies before expanding through employers, industry bodies and workforce learning systems.

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Wednesday, 10th May 2034

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