Groundbreaking training videos with bushfire survivor Tim Haslam earn Mel Haymont a DFES award nomination

A groundbreaking series of short videos and a podcast have earned Mel Haymont, a Department of Fire and Emergency Services community preparedness adviser, a nomination for a top individual achievement award.

Albany-based Ms Haymont is up for the DFES corporate staff individual achievement award at the WA Fire and Emergency Services Awards after teaming up with Popanyinning farmer Tim Haslam for a series of training resources.

Mr Haslam, who is nominated for the Murray Lang bush fire service award, was badly burned in a bushfire on his property in 2023 but agreed to take part in the videos and podcast to help prevent others suffering the same fate.

Ms Haymont said all the recognition should go to Mr Haslam, while Mr Haslam said the series would never have happened but for Ms Haymont.

“She was absolutely marvellous and deserves the plaudits,” he said.

Her retort was: “It’s great to be nominated, but it’s kind of my job.”

Ms Haymont said she was keen that those giving the sort of messages around best safety practices should be the people the messages were aimed at.

“I am a big fan of community storytelling and that the information we want to get out should come from the people who need to receive it,” she said.

“For example, the farming community need to hear someone talking to their peers on the same level.

“Tim was brave enough to take part. It’s rare to find someone who is both charismatic yet humble enough to say he made mistakes.

“We usually use ourselves or subject-matter experts, so these videos were a bit of a flip.

“I can’t believe how far they have spread, you can see them on YouTube, and we are using them in our community preparedness training products.”

She is now hoping this initial success — the videos were part of a DFES lived-experience resource pilot project — will encourage more of the same.

“I hope this is the start of us having a bit of a shift in how we get our messages across,” she said.

“We want to remove the feeling that ‘this happened to somebody else’ by showing people ‘they are just like you’.”

The award winners will be announced at a gala night in Perth, in September.

Ms Haymont is one of 35 individual or team nominees across 12 categories.