The 27 CFA members, from brigades including Wodonga, Myrtleford, Stanley and Beechworth, took part in live exercises at the Victorian Emergency Management Training Centre yesterday.

The firefighters had to retrieve people from smoke-filled buildings, rescue people from burning cars and take part in mapping exercises as part of the simulated emergencies.

CFA volunteerism co-ordinator Kimberley Taylor said the training had been an important skills brush-up.

“It reinvigorates the women’s side of training,” she said.

“It’s an opportunity for the rural brigades to come down to the Wangaratta training grounds and get hands-on experience.”

CFA operations manager Paul King said female representation in the organisation had remained steady.

“We’d love to see the CFA be a true representation of the community,” he said.

“Women are half the population, but they only make up about 14 per cent of our operational firefighters.

“This is one of the ways we can better understand how the CFA can better support them to make both career and volunteer firefighting an attractive thing to do.”

The firefighters were supported by about 15 volunteer instructors and assistants, and Victorian Emergency Management Commissioner Craig Lapsley spoke at the event.

The Chiltern and Baranduda brigades also took part in the Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria State Rural Championships at St Arnaud at the weekend.

Chiltern team manager Kurt Hickling said the Chiltern team won a silver and two bronze medals.

“We’ve been training hard for the past eight weeks,” he said.

“To pick up any medal at the championships is a huge achievement.”