Mr Mitchell, who is also the Chair of Intersectionality with the Emergency Management Pride Network said the day looks to advocate for and empower rainbow young people and celebrate and promote the value of diversity and inclusion in all community settings.

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"Days like Wear it Purple Day are important as they provide the opportunity to have a conversation about the barriers that exist to full participation, in this case, of young rainbow people in the CFA," he said.

"For me, today is about awareness. It's a good place to start to have conversations with people but it also flags to our communities the CFA's values of inclusion and diversity.

"It gives us to opportunity to reflect on our brigades and consider if they truly represent the communities that we serve, and if not, how we can remove any of those barriers that do exist."

The day was founded in 2010 in response to global stories of discrimination and disproportionate suicide rates among young members of the LGBTIQ+ community.

This year's theme is Starting the Conversation and is focused on the important and necessary conversations we have in our daily lives; that centre around sexual orientation and gender identity.

It aims to remind people that the issues we reflect on Wear It Purple Day should not only be considered on that particular day... but every day.

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Mr Mitchell said the strength in Daylesford Fire Brigade lies in its diversity and inclusion.

"We are an inclusive brigade and have some really progressive members who have been championing gender inclusivity across all roles," he said.

"It is also a relatively close and supportive cohort of volunteers."

"I strongly believe in strength in diversity, and by embracing this ideology [of inclusion] it will make the CFA stronger in the long run, increase our relevance and, especially for smaller brigades, ensure longevity.

"It is also a reminder that equality and inclusivity are only effective when we put actions to those words.

"It is no longer enough to say, 'we will accept you and not discriminate against you', we need to say 'we accept, value, respect and importantly acknowledge who you are'."

Find out more about Wear it Purple Day at www.wearitpurple.org.

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