Six firey females - Katrina Lloyd
Katrina Lloyd hails from Cape Jervis and a proud family of SA Country Fire Service volunteers.
But despite being the first female in the clan to join the ranks, she has always run her own race and never compared herself to anyone else.
At the western tip of the Fleurieu Peninsula, Katrina Lloyd runs a tight ship at the Cape Jervis CFS Brigade.
The group of people that I’ve got here – men and women, they’re just a great bunch.
“A lot of them are family members and older members, and they’re all so dedicated to wanting to help the community and lucky for me they really respect what I do,” she said.
It wasn’t Katrina’s CFS father, brother, husband, cousin or even her son-in-law who approached her to join the CFS 15 years ago.
“It was actually my neighbour of all people who encouraged me, and since my youngest of three had left for school I thought, ‘I’ve got more time on my hands now, why not?’” she said.
Like many others who join the agency and show determination and grit, within a few years, Katrina went on to captain the brigade: a job she loves.
However, that’s not to say Katrina doesn’t keep busy outside of the CFS. The 55-year-old works for her husband’s fisheries business and also trains and competes in Mounted Games – racing horses against other competitors through an obstacle course.
“I am a two-time national champion and all three of my daughters have competed across the country - in fact my youngest still does,” she said.
The competitive streak is also in Katrina when it comes to responding to a CFS call-out.
“Oh, we get along just fine with the neighbouring brigades, but it’s always a competition to be the first one to respond to an incident and arrive – especially if it’s in their area,” she said.
Most of the local incidents in her region involve vehicle accidents, house or scrub fires and assisting other agencies.
But when it comes to the big campaigns across the Strait - such as the Kangaroo Island fires of 2019/20…“I don’t float, and I don’t like boats – even though my husband is a fisherman- and I don’t fly either, so I leave those jobs to the rest of the crew. I’m more than happy to respond to major campaigns and incidents on the land,” she said.
After eight years as captain, Katrina has no intention of slowing down or handing over the captain’s hat.
“I can imagine doing this job for a few more years and I love the support I get from the Group Officer and regional staff, who always assure me that they have my back. We have a nice bunch of brigades in our Southern Fleurieu Group and I’m proud to lead one of them,” she said.