The Bushfire Centre of Excellence turned five on 25 January 2026

The Bushfire Centre of Excellence (BCoE) facility, known as Karla Katitjin meaning fire knowledge, is celebrating five years as Western Australia’s dedicated hub for bushfire training, research and knowledge-sharing.

Located on Bindjareb Boodja in the Shire of Murray, the centre provides a space for collaboration, events and training delivery for volunteer and career firefighters, DFES staff and the broader bushfire management sector.

Here are some of the centre’s achievements over the past five years.

Training

• 2,084 courses delivered utilising BCoE Training programs, strengthening bushfire capability across the state.
• 34,574 participants trained, including volunteers, career firefighters, DFES personnel, as well as a range of private and public sector personnel including Aboriginal Ranger Groups, Agricultural sector employees, resources sector and timber plantation companies.
• 482 Trainer Assessors endorsed to deliver Bushfire Training Products statewide.
• These Trainer Assessors have collectively attained 1947 endorsements to deliver bushfire training products statewide.
• Introduction of publicly available Bushfire Fundamentals and Rural Fire Awareness courses, enabling an additional 2,750 external participants to build foundational knowledge in the past two years.

Events and Leadership Development

• Five Bushfire Community Days enhancing public understanding and community resilience.
• Four Brigade Officer Development Programs (BODP) supporting leadership capability within the volunteer bushfire service.
• Two Chief Bush Fire Control Officer Forums strengthening coordination and shared learning among senior fire control officers.
• 2022 Karla Katitjin Fire Knowledge Forum for fire practitioners from across WA and other jurisdictions.
• 2024 Karla Katitjin Bullargar Wal-luk Yong-a Gathering: ‘Together we share fire knowledge’ was a collaborative Cultural Fire forum hosted with SW Aboriginal Land Corporations.
• 2025 Bushfire Training Forum aimed at Trainer Assessors delivering bushfire training materials.

Cultural Fire

• Continued growth of the Cultural Fire Program, working in partnership with First Nations communities to support and enable the practice of cultural fire across Western Australia.
• Ongoing focus on integrating traditional and contemporary fire practices into training and land management.

Research Leadership

Development of the inaugural WA Bushfire Research Priorities in conjunction with the Interagency Bushfire Operations Committee Research Subcommittee.

• These priorities set the trajectory and a clear direction for bushfire research in WA. View these priorities here.

Community Safety Campaigns

• Delivery of key community campaigns, including:
  • Firewise Gardening in WA
  • Burn SMART
• A growing collection of publications, news and resources available on the BCoE webpage to support broader community education and awareness.

Special Visitors

The BCoE has been privileged to have hosted many visitors, including:

• United States Secretary of Interior Deb Haaland and US Ambassador to Australia Caroline Kennedy
• Premiers Mark McGowan MLA and Roger Cook MLA
• Governor of Western Australia His Excellency Kim Beazley AC
• Delegation of Portuguese Land and Fire Managers

Centre Visits

There have been 2,700 visitors to the BCoE facility from September 2023 to December 2025.

Visitors to the BCoE facility in 2025 were for:

• Meetings: 595
• Training: 254
• Events: 243

Total click counts for links related to publications, news and events, and the booking form on the BCoE webpage were:

• Publications: 1,491
• News and Events: 250

Awards and Recognition

The BCoE has been a recipient of the following Awards:

• Perth Royal Show Commercial Exhibitor Award 2025, Best in Show – Agriculture, for DFES stall and firewise garden display in collaboration with The Forever Project
• 2025 AIDR Lessons Management Award
• 2023 Commendation for WA Architecture Awards
• 2022 AILA WA Award of Excellence Health and Education Landscape

Five years on, the BCoE continues to strengthen partnerships with volunteers, fire agencies, First Nations communities, universities, residents and industry across Western Australia and Australia. As it enters its next chapter, the centre remains committed to enhancing bushfire knowledge, capability and community resilience across the state.

Watch the BCoE Opening and Ceremony video to learn more about the construction of the facility.

For more information, contact bushfirecoe@dfes.wa.gov.au