Last week the Geelong Football Club recognised CFA Victoria and their incredible community influence, along with the substantial impact they have had on so many people. 

Representatives and volunteers from the CFA had the opportunity to attend Saturday's match against Fremantle, sitting in the GMHBA Community Bay. 

The GMHBA Community Bay has been established to provide local community groups, families and individuals the opportunity to attend a Geelong Cats home game. 

During Saturday's match, the CFA were also recognised at quarter time with an on-field introduction, along with a video explaining the fantastic work they do. 

This summer has placed enormous demand on Victoria’s fire and emergency services, and CFA volunteers have answered the call.

Between 7 January and 15 February, CFA crews responded to more than 7,100 incidents across the state as more than 436,000 hectares of land burned.

That response involved over 1,100 brigades and more than 2,500 fire trucks and appliances.

On 9 January, during catastrophic fire conditions, crews attended almost 200 grass and scrub fires in a single day, with more than 80 strike teams mobilised across Victoria.

In total, there have been over 81,000 firefighter turnouts, with many volunteers responding again and again while balancing work, family and community commitments during Victoria’s longest heatwave since 2009.

Behind the scenes, incident management teams worked around the clock alongside partner agencies and interstate support crews to support our brave men and women on the ground.

So in Round 1, we recognise and thank the dedication, courage and community spirit of CFA volunteers across Victoria.