Fire and Emergency Services
Workforce Overview
Fire and Emergency Services organisations are much more than response agencies ─ they provide risk mitigation and practical information to governments, communities, and businesses to support community resilience and minimise potential exposure to harm.
The Fire and Emergency Services industry-sector includes:
- Firefighting
- State Emergency Servies (SES)
- Forest and Land Management
- Surf Lifesaving
- Air Services.
Their main jobs are to save lives, protect property, conserve the environment in disasters and provide essential services during emergencies such as floods, storms and earthquakes.
Organisations within this industry-sector have key responsibilities that align to the Emergency Management Continuum.
Public Skills Australia has identified that the Fire and Emergency Services industry-sector experiences the following workforce challenges.
- Expansion of core duties
- Technological development
- Recruitment and retention
- Diversity and inclusion
- Career pathways
- Climate change
- Demographic shifts
- Competition for labour
There are also three industry-specific challenges that are only experienced by the Fire and Emergency Services industry-sector.
- Recruitment and retention of volunteers
- Changing demand
- Training volunteers
Many organisations have developed strategic plans to help address these workforce challenges.
Training Overview
Fire and Emergency Services is covered by the PUA Public Safety Training Package. This training package is also used by the mining, energy, oil and gas, and aviation industries.
To meet the needs of specific organisations, single units of competency are regularly delivered to satisfy industry needs.
This training package is applicable for the following emergency agencies.
- Emergency Management
- Fire
- Land Management
- Surf Lifesaving
- Emergency Services
- Maritime Safety
Public Skills Australia works with the Australasian Fire and Emergency Services Authorities Council (AFAC) to ensure review and keep the PAU Public Safety Training Package up to date.
As a Jobs and Skills Council, Public Skills Australia plays an important role in maintaining this training package.
Click here to learn more about the PUA Public Safety Training Package.
Members of Public Skills Australia from this industry-sector
Have questions or feedback?
References
PAU Training Package enrolment reference: National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER), Total VET students and courses 2022: DataBuilder [data set], 2023, ncver.edu.au, accessed 15 January 2024.
Existing workforce strategies
Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council (AFAC), AFAC Strategic Directions for Fire and Emergency Services 2022─2026, AFAC, 2021.
AFAC, AFAC Strategic Plan 2023─2027, AFAC, 2023.
Champions of Change Coalition – Fire and Emergency Group, 2022 Progress Report, Champions of Change Coalition – Fire and Emergency Group, 2022.
Volunteering Australia, National Strategy for Volunteering 2023─2033, 2022.
Disclaimer
This data have been collected through consultation with industry-sector representatives as part of the Workforce Plan 2024: Fire and Emergency Services. These figures represent a snapshot in time and are subject to change. Public Skills Australia Limited has made every effort to ensure that the information and data contained in this report are accurate, up to date and have been sourced appropriately. Our organisation will update these figures annually as part of its Workforce Planning function.
Images provided courtesy of Fire Rescue Victoria. FRV images are used with permission and should not be reproduced without permission from the organisation.