Langwarrin Fire Brigade recently made history after they elected their first female Lieutenant in the brigade's 90-year history.
Volunteer Allie Guegan will take up the role of 4th Lieutenant at Langwarrin in July after she joined CFA just over twelve years ago. Inspired by watching her Dad volunteer when she was growing up, it has now become a huge part of who she is.
Allie said she loves the opportunity being a volunteer gives her to grow.
"Even before joining, I would always help with things like fundraising, sausage sizzles and I really enjoyed that sense of community," Allie said.
"I always found it really intriguing what he (dad) did as a volunteer firefighter and I wanted to experience that for myself."
Joining Langwarrin fresh out of high school, Allie said CFA has had a huge influence on her career and personal development.
"Being a volunteer firefighter, you can be exposed to confrontational scenes," she said.
"This has helped build my resilience and given me life experience I wouldn't have got anywhere else.
"I now work in the emergency management space. The experience I get through frontline response has helped me understand the complexities of emergency services."
For the new members that joined the brigade, Allie has stepped in as a mentor.
"I hope to inspire and lead by example, volunteering takes time and commitment but the more you put into your volunteering the more you get out of it," she said.
"I think for new members it is about showing them there is always an opportunity to build your skills which means I am more confident on the fire ground."
If you are thinking of volunteering, find out more about CFA and how you can 'Give Us a Hand' at https://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/volunteers-careers/volunteer-with-cfa
