Environmental services

In this section

Environmental advice and compliance support across CFA operations
Monitoring and reporting on environmental impacts, including water quality
Legislative obligations and environmental risk management
Collaboration with regulators, partners and communities

Environmental Services provides strategic, tactical and professional advice and support to CFA, while ensuring environmental and related legislative requirements are met and maintained.

This is achieved through:

Delivery of CFA's Environment Policy
Reporting activities to regulators
Implementation of ERAP
Coordination of CFA's involvement in whole of government climate change pledge and actions
National Greenhouse Emissions Reduction Scheme (NGERS) & Financial Reporting Direction 24 (FRD24) annual reporting
Managing and maintaining the relationship with EPA, including undertaking projects to meet existing EPA Clean Up Notices (CUN)
Support sustainability activities as required
Management of compliance and monitoring activities for the VEMTCs and Fiskville post ECP

Note: This page replaces the previous Environmental Compliance Program (ECP) information page, with any outstanding work remaining from this program being closed out or transitioning to BAU as required.

Environmental legislation and compliance

The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) Act 2017, came into effect 1 July 2021 with EPA having increased powers to prevent harm to public health and the environment from pollution and waste.

The Victorian Government undertook a public inquiry into EPA and released its final conclusions in 2016. Feedback received indicated that Victorians wanted a world class regulator that prevents harm to the environment and public health. EPA has now committed to work with Victorians to deliver that vision.

Enhanced powers from the Act will be used by EPA to prevent risks to the environment and human health, with increased sanctions and penalties to hold environmental polluters to account.

In summary, the new laws include:

The General Environmental Duty (GED) which applies to all Victorians
Duty to manage contaminated land
Duty to notify EPA of known contamination above prescribed levels

Our CFA mission is to 'protect lives and property' and with the introduction of the new laws under the EPA Act, CFA must ensure a safe working environment is provided for our staff and volunteers by identifying, assessing and mitigating risks to our members while at CFA sites and performing their duties during incident response.

CFA is being supported by EPA to meet its obligations under the Act as we continue to work towards creating a great place to volunteer and work.

The General Environmental Duty (GED) is at the centre of the Act. It applies to all Victorians, including organisations such as CFA, and we must reduce the risk of our activities potentially harming the environment or human health through pollution or waste.

In relation to CFA, the most significant changes to our responsibilities are:

Correct waste disposal - waste produced must be transported to a place that can lawfully receive it. Obligations and penalties apply to ensure waste is properly managed.
Reporting pollution - 'notifiable incidents' must be reported to EPA as soon as reasonably practicable.
Managing contaminated land - the duty to manage and the duty to notify relate to the minimisation of contamination on sites managed by CFA.

The GED is criminally enforceable and serious consequences apply for failure to adhere to the duty to notify and manage contaminated land.

The Environmental Services team will be managing CFA's compliance to the new EPA updates.

The GED applies to all Victorians, individuals and businesses. If you conduct activities that pose a risk to human health and the environment you must understand the risks and take reasonably practicable steps to eliminate or minimise them.

CFA has a responsibility to:

Respond to pollution incidents we have caused and notify EPA
Manage contaminated land, including: Excavating contaminated soil, and disturbing underground tanks
Notify EPA of contaminated land
Identify, assess and control risk
Manage waste

Reasonably practicable is defined as having implemented proportionate controls to eliminate the risk of harm and action may include: