Kalorama wraps up with full house and high spirits
Our third and final Immersive Bushfire Experience workshop in Kalorama was delivered last Sunday, and despite nearly 30mm of rain, it was our strongest turnout yet. Word had clearly travelled through the hills since Workshop One, with locals eager to experience the VR simulation and share their reflections on living with bushfire risk. One participant even arrived with their “homework” — a re-drafted bushfire survival plan(s) that had been developed after their partner attended Workshop Two.
Driving up through the rain and mist, it was hard to imagine bushfire danger — but as Kalorama residents know, weather can turn fast.
Feedback from Sunday’s session reflected both appreciation and determination to put knowledge new into practice:
This needs to be delivered across all bushfire prone areas in Australia. It was excellent!
Fabulous. I really learnt a lot from this and am going to work on completing my plan and having discussions with my partner before the day about triggers etc
Brilliant workshop! Should be mandatory to all residents who live in bushfire areas. I highly recommend this workshop. It has given me so much help & insight into preparing my bushfire plan.
One of the things the Immersive Bushfire Experience Foundation is keen to know, is: does anything change for people after our workshops? How do people put into practice what they have experienced? For example, have they:
had a conversation with family, friends, or neighbours about bushfire preparedness?
written or updated bushfire survival plan(s) to include clear triggers and actions?
rehearsed their plan under different conditions (day/night, with or without power, pets, children, etc.)?
talked about preparedness at their workplace or community group?
simply noticed a shift in how they think or feel about emotional preparedness and fire risk in their area?
We’ll be back in touch with Kalorama participants in four weeks and look forward to hearing about their experiences post-workshop. In the meantime, we have a few weeks to reflect and refine the workshop before our next round in Warrandyte mid-November.
