Department of Fire and Emergency Services

Department of Fire and Emergency Services
	Government agency logo
	Career Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS) Volunteer Fire and Rescue Service (VFRS)
Agency overview
Formed	2012
Preceding agency	Fire and Emergency Services Authority of Western Australia (FESA);
Jurisdiction	Government of Western Australia
Motto	Working together for a safer state
Annual budget	A$345M (2020)
Minister responsible	Paul Papalia, Minister for Emergency Services;
Agency executive	Darren Klemm, Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner;
Child agencies	State Emergency Service (SES); Bush Fire Service (BFS); Volunteer Fire and Rescue Service (VFRS); Volunteer Fire and Emergency Service (VFES); Marine Rescue Western Australia;
Website	www.dfes.wa.gov.au

The Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) is a government department responsible for fire and emergency services in Western Australia. The department came into being in 2012 as a result of the Perth Hills Bushfire.^[1] The DFES is responsible for the management, training and funding of career and volunteer services including:

Career Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS) 29 BGUs (Brigades, Groups and Units), 1,249 members
Bushfire Service (BFS) 551 BGUs, 20,227 members
State Emergency Service (SES) 64 BGUs, 1,929 members
Volunteer Fire and Emergency Services (VFES) 40 BGUs, 1,184 members
Volunteer Fire and Rescue Service (VFRS) 93 BGUs, 2,219 members
Marine Rescue Service 39 BGUs, 1,570 members
Public Service Officers and Technicians 658 members

^[2]

The DFES currently employs 1,249 career firefighters and over 600 staff members, as well as over 29,000 volunteers in the six services state-wide.^[3]

There are also 2,579 members in the Emergency Services Cadets and Youth programs across five services.^[3]

History

The Department of Fire and Emergency Services was formerly known as the Fire and Emergency Services Authority of Western Australia (FESA), a statutory government authority created in January 1999 to administer the following legislation within the state of Western Australia:^[4]

Fire and Emergency Services Authority of Western Australia Act 1998
Fire Brigades Act 1942
Bush Fires Act 1954
Emergency Services Levy Act 2002
Emergency Management Act 2005

The department was unaffected by the change in government following the 2017 Western Australian state elections.^[5]

Fire and Rescue Service of Western Australia

The inaugural meeting of the Fire Brigades' Board was held on 16 January 1899. This later led to the establishment of the Western Australian Fire Brigades' Board in 1909. Western Australian Fire Brigades updated their name in 1995 to Fire and Rescue Service of Western Australia to more accurately reflect the service provided to the communities of Western Australia.^[6]

In 1999, the creation of FESA brought together the Fire and Rescue Service and the Bush Fire Service to form the Fire Services Division of FESA. The Fire and Rescue Service and Bush Fire Services actively maintain their original identities.

The Department of Fire and Emergency Services was established in 2012 and replaced FESA. Wayne Gregson (a former Western Australia Police assistant commissioner) was appointed the first Fire and Emergency Commissioner. The current headquarters are located at Stockton Bend in Cockburn Central. This building includes the state and metropolitan operations centres, state-wide communications centre, operations and capability commands and corporate services.

Structure

The Department of Fire and Emergency Services operates under the Emergency Services Minister of the Government of Western Australia and is the Hazard Management Agency for cyclones, floods, storms, tsunami, structural collapses, HAZMAT incidents, earthquakes and fires. Their operational branch comprises metropolitan and country operations, operations capability, and oversees the listed services.

The Career Fire and Rescue Service of Western Australia consists of 1,249 paid firefighters working from 25 metropolitan stations and four country stations. Career firefighters attend a 21-week training course held at the academy in Forrestfield. They work on a roster of two 10-hour day shifts followed by two 14-hour night shifts and then four days off. Metropolitan stations operate with at least one urban pumper and light tanker, with a crew of one station officer and three firefighters. (Perth station does not run light tankers.)^[relevant?] Country stations operate with a crew of one station officer and five fire fighters.^[7] Some metropolitan stations operate as relieving stations^{[further explanation needed]} where two additional firefighters are on shift, these firefighters will fill short staffing at other stations if the need arises.

Appliance allocation is typically one Urban Pumper and one Light Tanker, with a second pump located at Perth, Vincent, Daglish, Fremantle, Welshpool and Bunbury. Two CLPs (Combined Ladder Platforms) are located at Perth and Fremantle stations. Two SET's (Specialised Equipment Tender) are located at Murdoch and Osborne Park. Four permanent Urban Tankers^{[further explanation needed]} are located at Joondalup, Malaga, Cardup and Canning Vale, with additional Urban Tankers added at Ellenbrook, Hope Valley, Midland, Welshpool and Maddington, during the high threat period. The ICV (Incident Control Vehicle) is located at Belmont Station, The POD carrier is also located at Canning Vale.

The Volunteer Fire and Rescue Service (VFRS) is a volunteer service predominantly attending motor vehicle accidents, structure fires and HAZMAT incidents outside of metropolitan areas. In 2024 the VFRS had 2,219 volunteer firefighters in 93 brigades across the state.^[8]^[9]

The Bush Fire Service is a volunteer service who attend any fire outside of a gazetted fire district within a Brigade's Local Government area. They predominantly combat bushfires and conduct hazard reduction burning on a local level. As of 2024^[update], there are 551 Bushfire Brigades with 20,227 volunteers.^[3]

The Volunteer Fire and Emergency Services is also a volunteer service, established to combine the resources of any combination of a Bush Fire Service Brigade, a VFRS Brigade, MR Group or an SES Unit to replace the Volunteer Fire Services and Volunteer Emergency Service in 2016^[10]^[3] It has just over 1,184 volunteers as of 2024^[update].

The State Emergency Service (SES) refers to a number of civil defence organisations that provide assistance during and after natural disasters and in search and rescue incidents where elevated equipment and skills are needed compared to more general emergency services. They attend land searches for missing people, storm damage, urban search and rescue, cliff rescue, road crash rescue, transporting personnel and equipment to fires as well as many other roles. The SES has a K9 unit with volunteers' dogs being trained in searching for missing people and a mounted unit for land searches. As of 2024^[update], they had 1,020 members and 64 units.

The Marine Rescue Service Western Australia is another volunteer service tasked with assisting the Western Australian Police with searches for missing people or vessels, assisting disabled vessels and rescues in water around the state. As of 2024^[update] there are 39 MRS Groups with 1,570 volunteers.^[11]^[3]

In April 2018 a new Rural Fire Division was announced after the findings of the 2016 Waroona Bushfire Special Inquiry. It will be^[when?] another branch under the DFES structure and will consist of:^{[needs update]}^[12]

Bushfire Centre of Excellence (training and research into Bushfire mitigation)^[13]
State Bushfire Mitigation
Bushfire Technical Services
Land Use Planning
Office of Bushfire Risk Management

Ranks and insignia

DFES
Title	Epaulette	Helmet
Commissioner	Crossed staffs in gold wreath with red background below a crown.	Black 2 × white stripes on both sides
Deputy Commissioner	Crossed staffs in gold wreath with red background below 3 pips	Black 1 × white stripe on both sides
Assistant Commissioner	Crossed staffs in gold wreath with red background below 2 pips	Black
Chief Superintendent	Crossed staffs in gold wreath with red background below 1 pip	Silver 1 × white stripe on both sides
Superintendent	Crossed staffs in gold wreath with red background	Silver
District Officer (Urban & Rural Fire)	3 blue impellors	Blue 1 × white stripe
District Officer (Natural Hazards)	3 gold pips	Blue 1 × white stripe
Area Officer	2 blue impellors below a band	Blue
Community Emergency Services Manager (CESM)	2 gold pips, local government name printed below	Lime green 1 × white stripe on both sides
Career Fire & Rescue
Station Officer (SO)	2 blue impellors	Red 2 × blue impellors on both sides
Leading Firefighter	3 yellow chevrons below 2 crossed red axes	Yellow 3 × yellow chevrons on both sides
Senior Firefighter – 15 years (SFF–15)	3 × chevrons ( 2 × yellow above 1 × red) below 2 crossed red axes	Yellow 3 × chevrons ( 2 × yellow above 1 × red) on both sides
Senior Firefighter	2 × yellow chevrons below 2 crossed red axes	Yellow 2 × yellow chevrons on both sides
Firefighter 1st & 2nd class	1 × yellow chevron below 2 crossed red axes	Yellow 1 × yellow chevron on both sides
Firefighter 5th, 4th & 3rd class	2 crossed red axes	Yellow
Trainee Firefighter	Blank coloured epaulette	Yellow
Volunteer Fire & Rescue Service
VFRS Captain	3 × red bars below a red impellor	Lime green
VFRS Lieutenant	2 × red bars below a red impellor	White 1 × blue stripe on both sides
VFRS Apparatus Officer	1 × red bar below a red impellor	White 1 × green stripe on both sides
VFRS Secretaty (Non-active)	1 × yellow line above SECRETARY in writing
VFRS Leading Firefighter	3 × red chevrons below 2 crossed branches	White
VFRS Senior Firefighter	2 × red chevrons below 2 crossed branches	White
VFRS Qualified Firefighter	1 × red chevron below 2 crossed branches	White
VFRS Firefighter	2 crossed branches	White
VFRS Ex Captain	1 × yellow impellow above EX CAPTAIN in writing	White

Stations

Metropolitan fire stations

Station	Appliances			Co-located with VFRS
Station	Pumper	Specialist & Support	Summer fire season	Co-located with VFRS
Armadale	Armadale 1st (UPHR) Armadale LT			Armadale 2nd VFRS HSR and LT
Belmont	Belmont Pump (HP) Belmont LT	Belmont ICV Foam Trailer
Butler	Butler Pump (UPHR) Butler LT		Butler 3.4 UT
Canning Vale	Canning Vale Pump (UPHR) Calling Vale LT	POD Carrier Canning Vale 2.4 UT
Cardup	Cardup Pump (UPHR) Cardup LT	Cardup 3.4UT
Claremont	Claremont Pump (UP) Clarmont LT
Cockburn	Cockburn Pump (UPHR) Cockburn LT	Foam Trailer	Cockburn 3.4 UT
Daglish	Daglish 1st (UP) Daglish 1st LT Daglish 2nd (UPHR)		Daglish 2nd LT
Duncraig	Duncraig Pump (UP) Duncraig LT
Ellenbrook	Ellenbrook Pump (UPHR) Ellenbrook LT		Ellenbrook 3.4 UT
Fremantle	Fremantle 1st (HP) Fremantle 1st LT Fremantle 2nd (UPHR)	Fremantle CLP Foam Trailer	Fremantle 2nd LT
Hope Valley	Hope Valley Pump (UP) Hope Valley LT		Hope Valley 3.4 UT
Joondalup	Joondalup Pump (UP) Joondalup LT	Joondalup 3.4UT
Kensington	Kensington Pump (HP) Kensington LT
Kiara	Kiara Pump (HP) Kiara LT		Kiara 3.4 UT
Maddington	Maddington Pump (UP) Maddington LT		Maddington 3.4 UT
Malaga	Malaga Pump (HP) Malaga LT	Malaga 3.4 UT
Mandurah	Mandurah 1st (UPHR) Mandurah 1st LT			Mandurah 2nd VFRS 3.4UT and LT
Midland	Midland Pump (UPHR) Midland LT		Midland 3.4 UT
Murdoch	Murdoch Pump (UPHR) Murdoch LT	Murdoch SET
Osborne Park	Osborne Park Pump (UP) Osborne Park LT	Osborne Park SET
Perth	Perth 1st (UP) Perth 2nd (UP)	Perth CLP Perth VRV
Rockingham	Rockingham 1st (UP) Rockingham 1st LT			Rockingham 2nd VFRS HSR and LT
Vincent	Vincent 1st (UP) Vincent 1st LT Vincent 2nd (UPHR) Vincent 2nd LT
Wangara	Wangara Pump (UP) Wangara LT	Foam Trailer
Welshpool	Welshpool 1st (UP) Welshpool 1st LT Welshpool 2nd (UPHR)		Welshpool 3.4 UT Welshpool 2nd LT

Country fire stations

Station	Appliances
Station	Pumper	Specialist & Support	Summer fire season
Albany	Albany 1st (UPHR) Albany 1st LT	Albany 1st 3.4 UT	Albany 1st LT 2
Bunbury	Bunbury 1st (UPHR) Bunbury 1st LT Bunbury 2nd (UPHR) Bunbury 2nd LT
Kalgoorlie	Kalgoorlie 1st (UPHR) Kalgoorlie 1st LT	Kalgoorlie 1st 3.4 UT	Kalgoorlie 1st LT 2
Geraldton	Geraldton 1st (UPHR) Geraldton 1st LT	Geraldton 1st HSR	Geraldton 1st LT 2

Vehicles and equipment

The department maintains and coordinates a range of specialist equipment and emergency response vehicles. This includes pumpers and tankers, aerial ladders and other equipment designed to combat incidents including search and rescue, urban search and rescue, firefighting and other natural disasters.

Appliances used by DFES brigades groups and units include:^[14]^{[full citation needed]}

Pumpers


Fleet ID	Appliance Type	Appliance Specifications			Body Builder
Fleet ID	Appliance Type	Cab Chassis	Pump and Capacity	Water and Foam Capacity	Body Builder
UP	Urban Pump	Scania P310/320	Waterous CMC (Split shaft) twin stage 4,732 L/min (1,250 US gal/min) at 1.0 MPa (150 psi) Waterous CMK (PTO) twin stage 4,732 L/min (1,250 US gal/min) at 1.0 MPa (150 psi) (UP/UPHR 37 onwards)	Water: 1,200 L (320 US gal) Foam A: 60 L (16 US gal) Foam B: 200 L (53 US gal)	Paull and Warner Resources (UP/UPHR 37 onwards) Southwest Fire Units
UPHR	Urban Pump Heavy Rescue	Scania P310/320	Waterous CMC (Split shaft) twin stage 4,732 L/min (1,250 US gal/min) at 1.0 MPa (150 psi) Waterous CMK (PTO) twin stage 4,732 L/min (1,250 US gal/min) at 1.0 MPa (150 psi) (UP/UPHR 37 onwards)	Water: 1,200 L (320 US gal) Foam A: 60 L (16 US gal) Foam B: 200 L (53 US gal)	Paull and Warner Resources (UP/UPHR 37 onwards) Southwest Fire Units
MPHR	Medium Pump Heavy Rescue	Scania 94D	Waterous CSHK twin stage 3,500 L/min (920 US gal/min) at 1.0 MPa (150 psi)	Water: 1,200 L (320 US gal) Foam A: 60 L (16 US gal) Foam B: 200 L (53 US gal)	WA Fire Appliances
HP	Heavy Pump	Scania P310	Waterous CMC (Split shaft) twin stage 4,800 L/min (1,300 US gal/min) at 1.0 MPa (150 psi)	Water: 1,400 L (370 US gal) Foam A: 60 L (16 US gal) Foam B: 240 L (63 US gal)	Southwest Fire Units
VP	Volvo Pump Urban Pump Type 2	Volvo FM	Waterous CGVK (PTO) single stage 3,000 L/min (790 US gal/min) at 1.0 MPa (150 psi)	Water: 1,200 L (320 US gal) Foam A: 60 L (16 US gal) Foam B: 200 L (53 US gal)	Paull and Warner Resources
CP	Urban Pump Type 2 (Previously Country Pump)	Iveco Eurocargo	Waterous CGVK (PTO) single stage 3,000 L/min (790 US gal/min) at 1.0 MPa (150 psi)	Water: 1,200 L (320 US gal) Foam A: 60 L (16 US gal) Foam B: 200 L (53 US gal)	Frontline Fire and Rescue (CP18 and 3 Indian Ocean Territories trucks)
CP	Urban Pump Type 2 (Previously Country Pump)	Isuzu FTR	Waterous CGVK (PTO) single stage 3,000 L/min (790 US gal/min) at 1.0 MPa (150 psi)	Water: 1,200 L (320 US gal) Foam A: 60 L (16 US gal) Foam B: 200 L (53 US gal)	WA Fire Appliances Paull and Warner Resources (CP20)
HS	Urban Pump Type 3 (Previously HSR, HAZMAT Structural Rescue)	Isuzu FTS 4x4	Waterous CLSK (PTO) single stage 1,800 L/min (480 US gal/min) at 1.0 MPa (150 psi)	Water: 1,400 L (370 US gal) Foam A: 60 L (16 US gal) Foam B: 200 L (53 US gal)	McDonald Johnson Southwest Fire Units Frontline Fire and Rescue

Tankers

Light Tanker (LT) (Toyota Landcruiser 70 Series)
1.4 Tanker (Isuzu and Iveco Cab Chassis)
2.4B (Broadacre) / 2.4R (Rural) / 2.4U (Urban Tanker) (Isuzu Cab Chassis)
3.4U (Urban Tanker) (Isuzu Cab Chassis)
4.4B (Broadacre) / 4.4R (Rural) (Isuzu, Iveco, Volvo and Tatra Cab Chassis)
9.2 Bulk Water Tanker (Isuzu Cab Chassis
12.2 Bulk Water Tanker (Isuzu Cab Chassis)

Specialist Vehicles

Road Crash Rescue Tender (RCR)
Incident Control Vehicle (ICV)
Combination Ladder Platform (CLP)
Combination Aerial Pumper Appliance (CAPA)
POD Carrier
Vertical Rescue Vehicle (VRV)
Rehabilitation Vehicle

SES/Volunteer Fire and Emergency Services vehicles

Personnel Carrier (Toyota Landcruiser 70 Series V8 Troop Carrier used to transport personnel and equipment to incidents)
General Rescue Utility (Isuzu NPS 75-155/NPR 75-190 used to transport rescue/communications equipment to incidents)
General Rescue Truck
Commuter Bus
Road Crash Rescue Tender
Flood Rescue Boat

Aerial Fleet


Quantity	Aircraft	Water Capacity	Base Location	Remarks
6	Bell 214B	2,650 L (700 US gal)	2 at Jandakot (YPJT) 2 at Busselton (YBLN)	671 – N1073W 672 – N254SM 673 – N214LJ 674 – N49732 676 – N216PJ 677 – N217PJ
5	Eurocopter AS355 Écureuil	Air Attack Supervisor	4 at Jandakot 1 at Bunbury	N/A
2	Eurocopter AS365 Dauphin	Air Intel	2 at Jandakot	N/A
2	Lockheed C-130 Hercules	15,000 L (4,000 US gal)	2 at Busselton	N/A
4	UH-60 Blackhawk	4,500 L (1,200 US gal)	2 at Gingin 2 at Serpentine
3	Leonardo AW139	Rescue Helicopter	1 at Jandakot 1 at Bunbury 1 Spare	RSCU651 – VH-8AR RSCU652 – VH-8AU RSCU653 – VH-8AW

Gallery

Scania Urban Pumper (UPT1)
Combination Ladder Platform (CLP)
Incident Control Vehicle (ICV)
Hazmat Structure Rescue (UPT3)
POD Carrier
3.4U Urban Tanker
VFRS/CFRS Light Tanker
Bush Fire Service Light tanker
Bush Fire Service Isuzu 4.4 rural tanker
Bush Fire Service Isuzu 1.4 rural tanker
Isuzu 12.2 bulk water tanker

Vehicles are named based on their water capacity, drive type (2×4/4×4) and role. For example, 1.4R means approximately 1,000 litres (260 US gal), 4×4, designed for a rural environment.

Incidents

In February 2023, a Coulson Aviation Boeing 737-300 crashed while fighting fires in Fitzgerald River National Park; both pilots survived the crash.^[15]

References

^ "Commissioner's Foreword". Department of Fire and Emergency Services Inaugural Report 2012/13. 29 August 2013. p. 4. Archived from the original on 17 April 2025.
^ DFES. "Emergency services volunteer recruitment in WA". Department of Fire and Emergency Services. Retrieved 14 September 2024.^{[date missing]}^{[self-published source]}
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Publications". publications.dfes.wa.gov.au. Retrieved 23 February 2025.
^ "DFES - Department of Fire and Emergency Services". dfes.wa.gov.au.
^ "2017 Machinery of Government changes". Public Sector Commission. 28 April 2017.
^ A Centenary of Service, The Fire and Emergency Services Authority of Western Australia, 1999
^ "Wayback Machine" (PDF). www.dfes.wa.gov.au. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 March 2022. Retrieved 11 November 2025.
^ "Volunteer Fire and Rescue Service".
^ "WA Volunteer Fire & Rescue Services Association" (PDF). Retrieved 23 February 2025.
^ "Volunteer Fire and Emergency Services". www.dfes.wa.gov.au. Retrieved 23 February 2025.
^ "Marine Rescue Western Australia". Archived from the original on 1 March 2019. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
^ "Rural Fire Division - Department of Fire and Emergency Services".
^ "Wayback Machine" (PDF). dfes.wa.gov.au. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 May 2022. Retrieved 11 November 2025.
^ "Operational Fleet - Department of Fire and Emergency Services". www.dfes.wa.gov.au. Retrieved 30 October 2025.
^ "2 pilots walk away from Boeing 737 tanker crash in Australia". The Seattle Times. 7 February 2023. Retrieved 8 February 2023.

[1] "Commissioner's Foreword". Department of Fire and Emergency Services Inaugural Report 2012/13. 29 August 2013. p. 4. Archived from the original on 17 April 2025.

[2] DFES. "Emergency services volunteer recruitment in WA". Department of Fire and Emergency Services. Retrieved 14 September 2024.^{[date missing]}^{[self-published source]}

[:0-3] "Publications". publications.dfes.wa.gov.au. Retrieved 23 February 2025.

[4] "DFES - Department of Fire and Emergency Services". dfes.wa.gov.au.

[5] "2017 Machinery of Government changes". Public Sector Commission. 28 April 2017.

[centenary-6] A Centenary of Service, The Fire and Emergency Services Authority of Western Australia, 1999

[7] "Wayback Machine" (PDF). www.dfes.wa.gov.au. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 March 2022. Retrieved 11 November 2025.

[8] "Volunteer Fire and Rescue Service".

[9] "WA Volunteer Fire & Rescue Services Association" (PDF). Retrieved 23 February 2025.

[10] "Volunteer Fire and Emergency Services". www.dfes.wa.gov.au. Retrieved 23 February 2025.

[11] "Marine Rescue Western Australia". Archived from the original on 1 March 2019. Retrieved 10 January 2020.

[12] "Rural Fire Division - Department of Fire and Emergency Services".

[13] "Wayback Machine" (PDF). dfes.wa.gov.au. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 May 2022. Retrieved 11 November 2025.

[14] "Operational Fleet - Department of Fire and Emergency Services". www.dfes.wa.gov.au. Retrieved 30 October 2025.

[15] "2 pilots walk away from Boeing 737 tanker crash in Australia". The Seattle Times. 7 February 2023. Retrieved 8 February 2023.

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