Goal Two - Inclusive and accessible services
Strategies:
External Communication
The MFB aims to make its communications with the public accessible to people with disabilities, people who are not proficient in English and people with limited literacy skills.
Such communication includes community safety material, annual reports, MFB publications such as Firemark, information on recruitment, and information on the website.
The MFB may establish and promote improved channels for members of the public to obtain general information and make inquiries that are not necessarily emergency-related.
External communication is not limited to text but also to imagery and symbols. The choice of images featured in MFB publications, website and other media formats will be reflective of the MFB’s commitment to be inclusive of, attractive and relevant to under-represented groups in the community.
Community Engagement and Services
Community engagement initiatives undertaken by the MFB need to ensure that diverse groups are involved and enjoy equal access and benefits from the MFB’s engagement efforts and outcomes.
Creative, flexible and innovative approaches to engage hard to reach, disadvantaged and under-represented groups in the community will be particularly explored and pursued to achieve maximum outreach capacity to previously disengaged groups.
Pro-active engagement programs aimed at educating communities on fire safety and prevention, as well as promoting firefighting as a career amongst under-represented groups will be researched, developed, implemented and evaluated for their impact on community safety and internal diversity profile.
The community engagement process informs the MFB on community needs and identifies gaps that inform the development of MFB services.
Effective community engagement involves, research, consultation, evaluation of existing services as well as planning and delivery of new services based on new emerging needs.
It also involves advocacy to stakeholders that work with the MFB in all phases of emergency management and which include, federal, state, local government, industry groups, non-government organisations and diversity sector organisations.
Physical Environment
The MFB physical environment involves the buildings and facilities and their appropriateness, relevance and responsiveness to diversity.
This includes, station facilities, and their appropriateness for gender diversity, disability and cultural diversity needs.