Dr Merilyn Childs
During the period 1996-2008 I was Co-Director of the Centre for Learning and Social Transformation (CLAST) at the University of Western Sydney Australia. In that role I lead the Fire Services Research Program (1996-2006). During those years I conduced research about leadership and decision-making in the fire services. Amidst that work, I began research about female fire fighters; the history of female fire fighters, visual representation of fire fighters; and gender and disasters. I am proud to have placed the issue of female participation in fire fighting on the national agenda.
I no longer do this work as funded research, but I have a large collection of materials which I want to share with the public. With any luck, a PhD student will read my pages, and a PhD will be written and published!
Doing research and seeking social change in the area of women and firefighting has been rewarding - challenging - at times difficult; and broad shoulders were sometimes needed. This happens in the fight for social change. I've been honoured twice - in Who's Who of Australian Women Leaders in 2008, and via an Edna Ryan Award in 2005, for fighting to improve the working conditions of women. I've been fortunate.
This web site is my thankyou to the many women who get on with the job, fight the good fight, dust off their PPE (if operational), dust off their volunteer duties (if not) and live full and rich lives in addition to their lives in the fire services, where-ever that might be.
I've written some academic words about the topic. If these interest you, here are some of them:
Childs, M. (2006). "Counting women in the Australian fire services". The Australian Journal of Emergency Management, v. 21 no. 2, May.
Childs, M. (2006). "A preliminary report of raw data developed in response to the 2004-2005 “firegirls” national web survey." Fire Services Research Program, University of Western Sydney, Australia, April. Available for download.
Childs, M. (2006). “Not through women's eyes: photo-essays and the construction of a gendered tsunami disaster”. International Journal of Disaster Prevention and Management, Special Tsunami Edition. v. 15 i1, pp. 202 – 212.
Childs, M. (2005). "Beyond training: new firefighters and critical reflection". International Journal of Disaster Prevention and Management, v 14, i 4, pp.558-566.
Childs M, Morris M, and Ingham, V. (2004). “The rise and rise of clean, white-collar (fire-fighting) work”. International Journal of Disaster Prevention and Management, v 13, I 5, pp.409-414.
