Content warning, this conversation contains details about scenes that emergency first responders encounter.

We discuss car accidents, suicide, forest, and bushfires.

If any of these situations are personal to you, please proceed with caution.

Welcome to Getting Curious. I'm Jonathan Vaness, and every week I sit down for a 40-minute conversation

with a brilliant expert to learn all about something that makes me curious.

On today's episode, I'm joined by community-based bushfire management coordinator and lieutenant of the Diamond Creek Fire Brigade

with Country Fire Authority, Fiona MacKin, where I ask, how does Australia respond to bushfires?

Welcome to Getting Curious. This is Jonathan Vaness, and I'm so excited for this week's episode.

So just to kind of set the stage for everyone. We are in Melbourne, Australia, and we are in this really very spacious,

getting ready room at the venue where I'm going to do my stand-up show tonight in Melbourne.

So thank you so much for Fiona MacKin for coming to talk to us. You are the Lieutenant of the Diamond Creek Fire Brigade.

This is a very major title. You also are a community-based bushfire management coordinator,

and you're a volunteer firefighter with the County Fire Authority.

So basically, you are very well-versed in being a first responder firefighter. You've been doing this for a...

This is your life. Is your career?

Well, it is at the moment, but I've only been in the fire service for 13 years. So I'm still a baby.

A baby? Yeah, but 13 years is major. That's a good amount of time.

Oh, maybe to outsiders, but when we've got someone in our brigade who's about to hit 60 years with our brigade,

I'm definitely a newcomer. Well, and I guess in that comparison sense, yes,

but I think you're an incredibly well-suited person to come talk to.

You know, us about, and basically, you know, the question today is,

is how has Australia combated bushfires? How... I mean, obviously this year has been a huge deal with bushfires in Australia,

...