Queensland Fire and Emergency Services

History

The QFES is the result of 150 years of evolution in Queensland’s firefighting services; in fact the QFES was born from Australia’s oldest formal volunteer fire service, formed in 1860 after a fire destroyed a Brisbane cabinet making workshop. The early years were tough for the Brisbane Volunteer Fire Brigade and it wasn’t until 1889 that the first firemen was employed.

The first legislation for rural fire management was the Act to Prevent the Careless Use of Fire 1865, and for urban fire management, the Fire Brigades Act 1876. In 1990, the Queensland Fire Service and the Rural Fires Council were formed replacing the 81 Fire Boards in local government areas and the Rural Fires Board; this was the first step in creating a single fire service for Queensland.

In 1997, it became the Queensland Fire and Rescue Authority and 2001 saw another name change to the current Queensland Fire and Rescue Service.

In 2013, QFRS became the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services, encompassing Queensland Fire and Rescue, Queensland State Emergency Service, Emergency Management and the Rural Fire brigades under the Rural Fire Service.

Organisation

The QFES Professional Firefighters ensure a balance between the reduction of risk and enhancement of community resilience, whilst providing effective response and recovery capabilities in the primary hazard response areas of: fire and explosion; accident; rescue; environmental and imminent or declared disaster.

The Queensland Fire and Emergency Services provides specialist personnel with the skills and ability to provide combat support services for: land, marine, air and urban search and rescue; crime scene and forensic searches; missing person searches; animal disease outbreaks and communications.

Queensland Fire and Rescue

Queensland Fire and Rescue is made up of 2000 Professional Firefighters and 2000 Auxiliary (part-time)firefighters that are responsible for responding to almost every emergency. They are highly trained and work in a command structure with high standards to ensure safety. They have a proud history of protecting Queenslanders and are highly valued by the community. They look after 92% of Queensland's Assets and 95% of the population. To become a Professional Firefighter takes years of intense study and training in all disciplines of rescue, wildfires, structural fires and major emergencies.

Rural Fire Service Queensland

The Rural Fire Service Queensland (RFSQ), made up of approximately 35 000 volunteers (7000 active)(approximately 1500 rural fire brigades) and around 2400 fire wardens, and is the volunteer side of the Rural Fire Service. They are mainly responsible for responding to bushfires and have some land management capability.

Fire Prevention and Fire and Rescue

Professional Firefighters undertake a range of planning and preparation activities throughout the year. They are trained in Structural Firefighting, Wildland (forest and grassland) fires, high angle rescue, swift water rescue, road crash rescue, confined space rescue, trench rescue and urban search and rescue and Hazardous material mitigation. They are the Professional arm of the QFES. Fire hazard (grass fires) mitigation is the primary role of the Rural Fire Service Queensland. Rural Fire Brigades, in conjunction with Rural Fire Service Queensland staff, local councils, national parks rangers, and local landholders, undertake a range of planning and preparation activities throughout the year to ensure communities are well prepared for the fire season.

One of these activities is hazard reduction burns. Hazard reduction burns use fire under controlled circumstances to reduce excess vegetation and minimise the potential for bushfires to get out of control.

Community Education

There is an increasing awareness that timely and effective fire prevention and education saves lives and property. Professional Firefighters visit many schools and engage in a range of community education activities to ensure the community is prepared for a range of emergencies. Rural fire brigade members deliver a range of community education programs within their communities. The local knowledge held by members of the brigades, along with their knowledge of grass fire behaviour and prevention, ensure the community gets information and education specific to their circumstances.

Permits to Light Fire

The Fire and Emergency Services Regulation 2011 regulates the use of fire by not allowing fires to be lit without a specific permit. Fire Wardens and authorised fire officers manage the permit to light fire system.

A permit to light fire is required for any fire that exceeds two metres in any direction and can be acquired free of charge from a fire warden.

Fighting Fires

Rural Fire Brigades respond to the outbreak of fires within their local area and in surrounding areas in support of other rural fire brigades and emergency service workers.

Deployments and assistance during disasters

Rural Fire Service Queensland volunteers are often sent on deployment to assist other states during fire disasters. Members are also called upon to support Fire and Rescue and other emergency service agencies during disasters such as floods and storms.

State Emergency Service

The State Emergency Service is a national organisation of volunteers – 'ordinary people doing extraordinary things'.

The Queensland SES consists of thousands of 'unpaid' volunteers from a variety of backgrounds and professions who respond to emergencies and disasters across the State, 24/7.

They are trained and equipped to help their communities across a range of functions, and their primary purpose is to assist the most vulnerable members of the community.

The SES is designed to empower people to help themselves and others in their community in times of emergency and disaster. The basic concept is one of self-help and mutual assistance within each community.

Roles of the SES The SES becomes involved in preparing for, and responding to, many different types of disasters and emergencies including: cyclones; torms; floods; crime scene/forensics searches; earthquakes; cliff rescues; transportation incidents (road/rail/air; landslides; searches for missing persons and animal disease outbreaks.

SES members also assist other emergency services with provision of: emergency lighting; emergency welfare services; management of traffic at emergency scenes and emergency communications.

Leadership

The following list chronologically records those who have held the post of Commissioner of the Queensland Fire and Emergency Service.

Ranks and structure

The QFES employs both full-time and part-time firefighters to staff its more than 240 urban fire and rescue stations, with volunteer firefighters making up the State's almost approx 1500 rural fire brigades. All three groups wear the same blue station wear uniform, however:

Ranks of the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services are as follows:

Professional Firefighter

Auxiliary Firefighter (on-call 24-7)

Scientific

Rural Fire Service (Mainly Volunteer on-call 24-7)