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| Emergency services in Queensland | |
|---|---|
| Name | Emergency services in Queensland |
| Caption | Queensland Ambulance Service vehicle and Fire and Emergency Services appliances |
| Jurisdiction | Queensland |
| Formed | 1860s–present |
| Headquarters | Brisbane |
| Agencies | Queensland Fire and Emergency Services, Queensland Ambulance Service, Emergency Management Queensland |
Emergency services in Queensland provide firefighting, emergency medical response, rescue, hazardous materials control, disaster management and recovery across Queensland including urban centres such as Brisbane, regional hubs like Townsville and remote communities in the Cape York Peninsula and Torres Strait Islands. These services operate through statutory agencies, volunteer organisations and contracted providers, interfacing with state legislation such as the Disaster Management Act 2003 and cross-jurisdictional entities including Australian Defence Force support during large-scale incidents. Multiple agencies coordinate preparedness, response and recovery for hazards including bushfire seasons that affect regions from the Daintree Rainforest to the South East Queensland coastline.
Queensland’s emergency services system comprises statutory authorities, volunteer brigades, specialised rescue units and private contractors that respond to events ranging from tropical cyclones affecting Cyclone Larry-impacted towns to urban incidents in Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast. The sector involves organisations such as Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES), Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS), State Emergency Service (Queensland), volunteer groups like the Rural Fire Service (Queensland) and community-based entities including SES volunteer units and St John Ambulance Australia (Queensland). Inter-agency collaboration extends to federal agencies including the Australian Bureau of Meteorology and national coordination through the National Emergency Management Agency.
Statutory governance is founded on legislation such as the Disaster Management Act 2003 and the Fire and Emergency Services Act 1990 which establish powers for entities like QFES and the QAS. Oversight involves the Queensland Police Service for operational coordination and the Minister for Fire and Emergency Services (Queensland) for policy direction, with parliamentary scrutiny by the Parliament of Queensland. Arrangements also reflect national frameworks set by the Council of Australian Governments and align with standards from the Australian Emergency Management Institute and the Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience.
Primary agencies include Queensland Fire and Emergency Services, responsible for firefighting and rescue, and Queensland Ambulance Service, providing pre-hospital care and patient transport. The State Emergency Service (Queensland) leads flood and storm response, while the Rural Fire Service (Queensland) coordinates volunteer firefighting in rural areas. Other contributors are the Public Safety Business Agency (Queensland), Queensland Health emergency operations, Queensland Police Service, Australian Maritime Safety Authority for coastal incidents, and non-government partners such as St John Ambulance Australia (Queensland), Salvation Army (Australia), Red Cross (Australia), SES Volunteers Association and private ambulance providers like CareFlight and Aviation Australia-linked aeromedical operators. Specialist units include Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Queensland, Hazmat Response Teams, and the Volunteer Marine Rescue (Queensland) network.
Incident management uses frameworks such as the Australasian Inter-Service Incident Management System (AIIMS) and structures like local, district and state disaster management groups established under the Disaster Management Act 2003. State coordination centres in Brisbane liaise with regional centres in locations including Cairns, Mackay and Rockhampton. Multi-agency coordination occurs via protocols involving Queensland Police Service, Queensland Fire and Emergency Services, Queensland Ambulance Service and supporting organisations including the Department of Communities, Housing and Digital Economy (Queensland), Department of Transport and Main Roads (Queensland), and federal partners such as the Australian Defence Force and Geoscience Australia for hazard analysis.
Training is delivered through institutions like the Queensland Police Academy, QFES training colleges, the Australian Emergency Management Institute and vocational providers such as TAFE Queensland. Exercises involve multi-agency simulations with stakeholders including Local Government Association of Queensland, Indigenous communities represented through organisations like Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Health Service, and volunteer training coordinated by bodies like Rural Fire Service (Queensland). Community resilience programs include public education campaigns run with partners such as Bureau of Meteorology, Red Cross (Australia), St John Ambulance Australia (Queensland) and local councils like Brisbane City Council and Townsville City Council.
Queensland’s record includes responses to events such as the 2010–11 Queensland floods, Cyclone Yasi (2011), 2019–20 Australian bushfire season impacts in southern regions, and the 2013 Queensland floods in the Lockyer Valley. Responses have involved coordinated action by Queensland Fire and Emergency Services, Queensland Ambulance Service, State Emergency Service (Queensland), Australian Defence Force deployments, and international assistance requests when required. High-profile operations have drawn on resources from Urban Search and Rescue, aeromedical providers like CareFlight and recovery partners including Australian Red Cross and Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (Australia) for biosecurity impacts.
Funding sources include state budget allocations administered by the Treasury of Queensland, emergency management funding programs linked to the National Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements, and revenue from insurance levies and local government contributions such as those from Brisbane City Council and regional councils. Infrastructure encompasses operational bases, fire stations across regions like Darling Downs, ambulance stations, bases for the Volunteer Marine Rescue (Queensland), and assets including aerial firefighting aircraft contracted from providers like Aerotech Aviation and rotary-wing operators such as HeliLift. Technology and data systems involve collaboration with Bureau of Meteorology, Geoscience Australia hazard mapping and the Queensland Spatial Catalogue.
Category:Emergency services in Australia