By Aaron Cordy
PARAMEDICS, Police and County Fire Authority (CFA) volunteers stand on the frontline of a crisis. Along with other Emergency Services, they put themselves in danger when duty calls.
In Victoria, the first women police officers, known as ‘police agents,’ joined in 1917, and were sworn in in 1924. It wasn’t until the 1980s that Victoria saw its first paramedics and CFA volunteers. Today, women lead the charge in these and other emergency fields.
According to 2023 IBAC data, there were 4,797 female police officers in Victoria out of a total of 16,571 sworn police officers. That number is expected to grow in the next report. As of mid-2025, women make up 55.2 per cent of registered paramedics in Victoria, which is among the highest in Australia. As of February 2026, there are approximately 12,537 female volunteers in the CFA in Victoria. From Operational Volunteers: 4,597, Support Volunteers: 7,486 and Junior Volunteers: 454.
Local, Sarah Pearson, found a rewarding challenge joining the CFA. She has served on two strike teams, including Longwood this summer.
“It is very confronting at times, but it’s also very rewarding in the way that you see the community spirit of these places and how they come together and support each other, and the environments that they create in such terrible times is actually really special,” said Sarah.
Shepparton is home to one of the largest ambulance branches in regional Victoria, with more females than male counterparts.
For paramedic Chenayde Reid, volunteering as a lifesaver in her teens was a big influence in her studying to become a paramedic.
“There’s lots of female leadership programs being put forward by Ambulance Victoria. There are always leadership opportunities for us to step into. And I think that the more women and girls that do apply to Ambulance Victoria, the better, because we’re moving up, we’re moving into the ranks, and it’s a great workforce,” said Chenayde.
It was an appreciation of Police officers who helped her through tragedies in her teens that inspired Victoria police sergeant Bridie Sutton to join the force.
“Any interest in joining the police force, should do it. If you don’t do it, you’ll always wonder what it could have been like, what you would have done in the job,” said Bridie.
“It really shows you what you’re made of. It’s a mirror effect. It shows you what you’re capable of, and it feels good inside to do a job that you know is community-focused.”
