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Queensland Fire and Rescue Service

Queensland Fire and Emergency Services
QFES 2014 badge.png
Abbreviation QFES
Motto Many services, many capabilities, many partners.
Formation 1860
Legal status Active
Purpose Combatant authority for fire, rescue and hazmat[fire prevention]
Headquarters Kedron, Queensland, Australia
Region
  • 7 regions
Membership
  • 241 stations
  • 1519 brigades
Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Services
Mark Ryan, MP
Commissioner of QFES
Commissioner
Katarina Carroll, APM
Operations and Emergency Management
Deputy Commissioner Mark Roche, AFSM
Emergency Service Volunteers
Deputy Commissioner Mike Wassing
Subsidiaries Fire and Rescue Service (FRS) State Emergency Service (SES) Rural Fire Service (RFS)
Staff
2,100 (full-time)
2,100 (Casual)
Volunteers
37,000
Website qfes.qld.gov.au

The Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) is the primary provider of fire and emergency services in Queensland. The QFES was established in 2013 to improve the coordination and planning of emergency services, adopting an 'all hazards' approach to emergency management.

QFES headquarters are located in the Emergency Services Complex Kedron, Brisbane.

It was formerly known as the Queensland Fire and Rescue Service (QFRS) 2001–2013, Queensland Fire and Rescue Authority 1997–2001 and Queensland Fire Service 1990–1997.

The QFES is maintained by a mix of over 2,200 professional Fire and Rescue Service firefighters and more than 2000 Auxiliary Fire and Rescue Service Firefighters (on call) , 35,000 (6000 active)Rural Fire Brigade volunteers and 6000 State Emergency Service volunteers. QFES front-line operations is supported by a number of non-operational administration staff throughout the state.

The minister responsible for the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services is the Honourable Mark Ryan[1], Minister for the Police, Fire and Emergency Services portfolio.

QFES is led by Commissioner Katarina Carroll APM.

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 Service,State Emergency Service, Emergency Management and the Rural Fire Service.

The Fire and Rescue Service 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.


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