Fire Services Research Program

Dr Merilyn Childs is a Researcher Leader in the Creativity, Learning and Social Transformation (CLAST) Project at the University of Western Sydney Australia. CLAST has been conducting research about the changing nature of work in the fire services for nearly a decade. During the past 5 years the research has included research about female fire fighters; the history of female fire fighters, visual representation of fire fighters; and gender and disasters. To learn more about our work, go to www.uws.edu.au/about/acadorg/cshs/sashs/research/clast/fire_serv

Some of my publications

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.