Core Service Categories
These are services provided by CFA through its service tiers (ie members, brigades, groups, districts, regions, or headquarters), in most cases directly to communities, and in some instances to external parties or partner agencies to enable their services.
Community preparedness
Building community resilience to withstand emergency events, prepare and respond appropriately, and recover effectively.
Community engagement
CFA programs, services and initiatives that engage with communities, and are tailored to build their capability to prepare for and respond to incidents safely.
These programs encompass a range of activities that aim to build communities’ preparedness for fire by:
- Enhancing knowledge about fire risk
- Developing community members’ skills to prevent, plan and prepare for fire
- Strengthening trust in CFA advice and service delivery
- Creating understanding of shared responsibilities for fire safety
Community engagement is tailored to suit local needs and empowers communities to actively manage their fire risk.
Community partnerships and connectedness
CFA connects with communities through localised engagement to improve awareness and access to fire safety information, build trust and relationships, and maintain partnerships.
Fire prevention and preparedness
Fire prevention and preparedness encompass a range of strategies and actions aimed at identifying and reducing the risk of fires and minimizing their impact on lives, property, and the environment.
Conducting fuel management treatments
Proactive measures and advice aimed at reducing the amount and continuity of fuels
(flammable vegetation or structural materials) that can contribute to the spread and
intensity of fires.
Fire management planning
A process that supports the integration, consistency and coordination of the fire management
planning activities of government, the fire management sector and communities. The planning
process identifies fire risks and vulnerabilities and prioritises mitigation treatments to
reduce the fire hazards within communities, environment and the protection of community assets.
Fire management planning is a complex, multi stakeholder process encompassing mitigation,
preparedness, response and recovery.
Local government (municipal) fire prevention (including fire prevention notices)
CFA supports and contributes to multi-agency municipal level fire mitigation and strategic planning activities.
This includes supporting the service of fire prevention notices, which are predominately managed by local government.
CFA statutory functions
The discharging of CFA’s statutory functions prescribed in the CFA Act, including the declaration of Fire Danger Periods,
declaration of a Day of Total Fire Ban and the issuing of Section 40 (Total Fire Ban Day) permits.
Event planning and support
The support of fire safety planning for minor, intermediate and major events in the country area of Victoria
to ensure the safety and wellbeing of participants.
This includes the issuing of Schedule 12, Schedule 13 and Schedule 14 (fire danger period) permits,
handling of appeals to fire prevention notices, and the assessment, certification, publication and
notification of Neighbourhood Safer Places, also known as Bushfire Places of Last Resort (NSP-BPLR).
Emergency response – fire suppression
The activities directly involved in the extinguishment or suppression of the spread of a fire. These activities are about extinguishing or suppressing fire in the natural landscape, in a structure or elsewhere, and preventing the fire from going further, consistent with CFA’s mission of protecting lives and property. It excludes functions of Incident Management (Cat 5) to manage or oversee fire suppression.
Fire suppression – natural or agricultural environment
Suppressing a fire in the natural landscape (other than a planned burn) which includes suppressing
grass, shrub and forest fires.
Fire suppression – structure fire
Suppressing a fire in the built environment involving part or all of any building, shelter or other construction.
Fire suppression – non-structure fire
Suppressing a fire involving materials not attached to a structure and not meeting the classification
for a natural or agricultural environment fire, for example vehicle fires, rubbish or dumpster bin fires,
tip or landfill fires, power pole fires, and fires involving pressure vessels or boilers.
Emergency response – non-fire
The activities directly related to the attendance to non-fire incidents. These activities are about attendance to and operation of CFA at non fire incidents, consistent with CFA’s mission of protecting lives and property. It excludes functions of incident management (Cat 5) to manage or oversee non-fire response.
Technical, specialist or general rescue
Brigade response intended to assist, retrieve or extricate a person(s) or animal, including but not limited to
rescue incidents involving lifts, scaffolding or amusement structures, building structure collapse or at risk of
collapse, rail and industrial incidents.
Road crash rescue
The release and extrication of trapped people from motor vehicles.
Hazardous materials, radioactive materials and biological release response
Brigade response to mitigate, manage or contain hazardous, radioactive or biological materials.
Medical response programs (first responder duties)
Provision of initial interventions and pre-ambulance care, including basic life support services,
cardiopulmonary resuscitation and defibrillation.
Assistance to other agencies in a support role as requested or defined in the SEMP
Using CFA’s capabilities, tools and skill sets to assist other agencies and partners in fulfilling their
responsibilities relating to non-fire incidents.
Incident and emergency management planning, preparedness and response
CFA as an organisation acknowledges the need to plan and prepare for the occurrence of
emergency situations for which CFA has legislative responsibility, and to successfully manage those incidents or emergencies. It excludes Training and the activities covered in Core Categories 3 and 4.
Incident management planning
The activities undertaken to plan for effective incident control and incident management.
Emergency management planning
The processes and activities required at municipal, regional and state level to provide for
an integrated, coordinated and comprehensive approach to emergency management.
Incident management preparedness
The processes and activities required to ensure CFA is prepared for and ready to control and
manage incidents.
Incident management response
The activities undertaken to respond and enact effective incident control and incident management.
Emergency management response
The actions taken during and in the first period after an emergency to reduce the effects and
consequences of the emergency on people, their livelihoods, wellbeing and property; on the
environment; and to meet basic human needs.
Post-emergency response
The activities undertaken as a result of determining the cause, extinguishing or suppressing the spread of a fire, or undertaken as a result of the response to a non-fire incident.
Fire investigation
Fire investigation is the systematic investigation of fire scenes to gather and establish the facts
and evidence to determine the origin and cause of fires, leading to the identification of fire trends.
Essential water replacement
Provision of advice and records to landowners to facilitate the replacement by government authorities
of essential water used during bushfire firefighting operations.
Restoration of fences and rehabilitation of control lines
Assist rural landholders with the stabilisation of fire control lines and the repair and restoration
of fences damaged by suppression activities on private land or bushfire on the public/private land boundary.
Operational recovery
Activities undertaken to ensure CFA operations are restored to normality to allow for subsequent response.
Emergency relief
Relief is the provision of assistance to meet the essential needs of individuals, families and communities
during and in the immediate aftermath of an emergency.
Assistance to other agencies in a support role as requested or defined in the SEMP
Using CFA’s capabilities, tools and skill sets to assist other agencies and partners in fulfilling their responsibilities.
Regulatory services
A range of activities performed to ensure compliance with regulations and CFA standards.
Strategic land use planning
CFA provides advice on fire-related matters associated with town planning and amendments to planning schemes
managed by local government or other authorities.
Statutory land use planning
CFA assesses planning permit referrals from councils and provides advice as to whether the requirements of the
Planning and Environment (P&E) Act and the Victorian Planning Provisions (VPP) are being achieved through the proposal.
Structural fire safety
CFA provides consent to applicants seeking to install or modify prescribed fire suppression systems in the building environment.
Caravan parks
CFA provides prescribed standards and regulatory reporting to caravan park owners, operators and councils.
Dangerous goods
CFA provides a fire protection regulatory report to businesses that store and handle dangerous goods.
Other
Generic advice and guidance provided to inform third parties who have regulatory functions or powers.
Supplementary services
Fire equipment maintenance (FEM)
FEM is a fee-for-service that CFA brigades provide to entities in the broader community
to service and maintain essential fire safety equipment. Additionally, FEM provides
guidance material and delivers fire safety training to industry.