Journal article
Islam for fire fighters - A case study on an education program for emergency services
Australian Journal of Emergency Management, Vol.25(1), pp.47-53
01/2010
Abstract
Emergency services are increasingly recognizing the need to engage with the diverse communities they serve. In an emergency management context, reciprocal trust based on awareness and understanding is essential during times of natural disasters, emergencies and other catastrophic events. This paper describes an initiative by the Fire and Emergency Services Authority of Western Australia to build its capacity to deal appropriately with an increasingly visible, and marginalized, minority the Muslim community through a program designed to raise awareness and understanding among its staff. Despite some initial internal reticence and broader community criticism, outcomes included raised levels of awareness among FESA members of diversity issues generally, improved knowledge of Islam and related cultural issues, and a number of strong partnerships leading to further community development activities. This paper describes the social, political and organizational context in which the training was developed, and reflects on the personal experiences and lessons learnt by the program developers.
Details
- Title
- Islam for fire fighters - A case study on an education program for emergency services
- Authors/Creators
- F. Fozdar (Author/Creator)K. Roberts (Author/Creator)
- Publication Details
- Australian Journal of Emergency Management, Vol.25(1), pp.47-53
- Publisher
- Australian Emergency Management Institute
- Identifiers
- 991005543371307891
- Murdoch Affiliation
- School of Social Sciences and Humanities
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article
Metrics
94 Record Views