QFES Volunteerism Strategy Discussion Paper : 2017

From the Deputy Commissioner Deputy Commissioner Mike Wassing Chief Officer Rural Fire Service Chief Officer State Emergency Service Emergency Management, Volunteerism and Community Resilience

“It takes a community to build resilience.”

The challenge facing many emergency services organisations is how to continue to prevent, prepare for, respond to and recover from the increasing demands caused by natural and man-made disasters and events.

This, coupled with the challenges to traditional models of volunteerism, highlight the need for emergency services volunteer organisations to develop clear yet agile strategies to ensure ongoing support for our broader communities is there. In recognition of the critical and invaluable role our volunteers hold in emergency service delivery, the focus of this discussion paper – and broader vi- sion of the longer-term strategy – is to ensure volunteerism is deeply embedded into Queensland Fire and Emergency Services’ (QFES) culture and ethos. From recruitment and retention initiatives to training and volunteering opportunities, the framework for the QFES Volunteerism Strategy will help shape our department and allow it to better meet the challenges of the future, and in turn, the needs of the community. This discussion paper will explore your perceptions, ideas and vision on how we can: • empower and support local communities to develop and implement local solutions, with a focus on preparedness, mitigation and planning • support the development of a QFES Capability Framework to ensure effective, efficient and robust strategies are implemented for QFES to continue to provide support to Queensland communities • provide a proactive blueprint for ongoing recruitment and retention that understands the emerging trends in volunteering • develop a framework for inclusion from local to state level – by celebrating diversity while remaining focused on the common shared mission • reduce complexity to provide better and transparent governance, regulation and risk management for our volunteers through easier access to systems, tools and processes • enhance volunteer training, opportunities and management • enable robust organisational planning • strengthen community capability and our shared accountability for emergency and disaster management, to ensure continued and sustainable service delivery.

When a community’s volunteerism culture is strong, the better positioned that community will be to prevent, prepare for, respond to and recover from extreme events.

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olunteerism Strategy Discussion Paper : 2017

Queensland Fire and Emergency Services

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