Chief Superintendent

About us

As an emergency service agency, Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) is responsible for ensuring the safety of people and property across Queensland through the provision of effective prevention, preparation, response and recovery activities across a range of emergency situations.

Comprising the Fire and Rescue Service, the Rural Fire Service (RFS) and the State Emergency Service, QFES also supports other volunteer groups providing emergency response to Queenslanders.

QFES is one department with many services, many capabilities and many partners.

Purpose of the role

RFS are bushfire experts, they lead and manage a range of operational and organisational functions that are principally directed in supporting approximately 33,000 volunteers and rural fire brigades who provide fire management, mitigation and response services for rural and semi-rural communities and some urban fringe areas across the state. In addition to responding to fires and supporting of other brigades and emergency services, including assisting during emergency disasters, volunteer brigades undertake a range of planning and preparation activities to ensure communities are well prepared for the bushfire season. This includes community education, hazard reduction and mitigation activities to reduce the risk from fire to people and property. The Permit to Light Fire system, ensures the controlled use of fire in the landscape across the state is largely implemented by volunteer fire wardens.

The Director, Rural Regional Coordination is responsible for the strategic development and holistic management aspects of the RFS fleet including the QFES funded fuel and maintenance program. The role is also responsible for representing RFS at a state level in the development, implementation and ongoing coordination of operational radio communication networks.

Key requirements

Mandatory requirements
- Hold a current valid Blue Card (from Blue Card Services).
- Minimum C Class Driver's licence (non -restricted).

QFES Applicants
- Internal applicants must provide evidence that they are eligible for appointment in accordance with the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services Employee Award -State 2016.

External Applicants
- External applicants must have suitable contemporary fire and organisational management experience within an emergency service or fire management agency to the satisfaction of the Commissioner, QFES.

Highly desirable requirements
- Post graduate qualification relevant to the role and senior officer rank, while not mandatory will be highly regarded.
- Demonstrated ability to provide operational leadership and management control of large-scale rural fire incidents.
- Demonstrated strategic leadership skills with a capacity to understand the needs of volunteers, in a geographically diverse organisation with changing environmental, social and demographic pressures.
- Demonstrated management and leadership skills to continually improve service delivery and organisational capabilities in line with government priorities to meet future demands through the effective management of human and physical services delivered through a regional service delivery model.
- Knowledge of or experience in resource management appropriate to volunteers for the prevention, preparedness, response and recovery phases in community support.

Your key accountabilities

Your part in the ongoing success of our department, in providing frontline services will see you responsible for a variety of work, including, but not limited to:

- Manage the operational planning and coordination functions of the RFS on a state-wide basis.
- Develop, manage and evaluate systems and processes for supporting volunteers throughout the State, including operational policy, communications, reporting, liaison, training and equipment provision/maintenance.
- Ensure an effective, efficient and sustainable approach to RFS operational services across the State is maintained in accordance with contemporary fire ground and QFES principles (AIIMS/IMS, Doctrine, Standing Orders, etc).
- Liaise, consult and negotiate with other key internal and external stakeholders and support the Assistant Commissioner RFS on a range of operational committees, working groups and taskforces.
- Coordinate the delivery of high quality support services to the RFS particularly in the areas of WHS and risk management, appliances/equipment support programs, community awareness initiatives and bushfire arson investigation and prevention.
- Assist the Assistant Commissioner RFS in the development and management of strategic projects, including implementation of organisational change within RFS.
- Provide expert advice to the Assistant Commissioner RFS and direction to the Regional Managers on service planning, development of standards, community awareness initiatives, corporate governance issues and lead and guide staff in providing high quality support services to internal and external stakeholders.