Pregnant Australian firefighter is “doing it for the community”

A PREGNANT Australian firefighter is standing by her decision to help tackle bush fires devastating the country´s east coast, saying she is “doing it for the community.”

Friends of Kat Robinson-Williams, 23, who is 14 weeks pregnant, have appealed to her to stop.

Instead, she posted images and a video of herself at work in New South Wales (NSW) on Instagram defending her decision.

Ms Robinson-Williams, who has been a volunteer with the NSW Rural Fire Service for 11 years, posted: “For all the females on the ground in NSW right now. We stand together, we stand proud.”

“Yes, I am a firefighter, no I´m not a man.  Yes, I am a female, yes I am pregnant, yes I am going to the fires, and yes I’ll be alright. No I won’t just stay behind.”

She also told the BBC: “I’m not the first pregnant firefighter and I’m not going to be the last one. I’m still in a position where I’m able to help, so I will.”

She said her doctor had given her the all-clear “as long as I wear the right equipment.”

Australia is enduring a bushfire crisis that has left three people dead since Friday and burnt more than 200 homes.

She also posted a photo of her ultrasound showing her 13-week-old baby, saying: “Little firefighter in the making.”

Australian media reports that between 100 to 300 bush fires are raging across NSW and Queensland. Three people have been killed and dozens injured, including 13 firefighters.

According to officials, fire crews have been battling a front spanning 1,000km along the north coast of NSW, with several blazes “exceeding 100,000 hectares alone.”

Authorities have warned that the region faces a particularly dangerous bushfire season due to a severe drought and other factors.

Flame retardant were dropped in Sydney’s northern suburbs yesterday as some bushfires approached within 15km of the city centre.