Vacation Student Program 2025

In January 2025, the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) welcomed a cohort of students to the Vacation Student Program. The eight-week initiative offered current university students and recent graduates the opportunity to work on projects that benefit community safety.

This year’s cohort of five Student Project Officers were placed across key operational divisions, working at either the Emergency Services Complex in Cockburn or the Bushfire Centre of Excellence (BCoE) in Nambeelup. Their allocated projects focused on enhancing community safety and translating academic knowledge into practical tools for emergency management.

Four students, Ana Carvalho, Aleena Flack, Megan Gill and Catharina Mees were hosted by the Rural Fire Division, while G Ryan joined the Risk Capability and Analysis team.

Ana conducted a structural and coverage analysis of fuel types under the Australian Fire Danger Rating System (AFDRS) in Eucla and south interior fire weather districts, contributing to updates to the fuel type map.

Catharina supported the development of the Fire Ecology Guide by determining appropriate fire regimes. She produced a draft fact sheet on the tall eucalypt forests of Western Australia and 10 draft literature reviews covering different ecological communities.

G developed a science communication best practice guide producing flood-related infographics, a fact sheet and a PowerPoint presentation for emergency services personnel as well as an animation video illustrating flood impacts.

Megan and Aleena collaborated with the BCoE Training, and Engagement and Outreach teams to produce internal training videos for volunteer firefighters, promotional videos and a three-part Firewise How-to series to support the flagship Firewise Gardening in WA guide.    

In February, the students attended the Young Professionals Conference hosted by the Institute of Public Administration Australia WA, where they networked with peers across the public sector and listened to presentations from different sectors.

To conclude the program, each Student Project Officer had the opportunity to present their final projects to DFES staff, sharing both their outcomes and personal reflections on the experience.

Megan described the program as “a really great opportunity to gain real-world experience, develop our skills and also learn more about the important work that DFES does.”

Hear more from the 2025 cohort in the DFES Vacation Student Program Series.

DFES is currently recruiting for the next cohort of the program which will commence in 2026. If you're interested in gaining hands-on experience in emergency services, view the job advert for more information. Interested candidates are encouraged to visit wa.gov.au and watch the DFES Vacation Student Program Series.