Assistant Chief Officer - District Coordination Rural Fire …, Darling Downs

About us

The Queensland Fire Department (QFD) provides fire prevention, preparedness and response services to fire in the built and landscape environments, as well as scientific and specialist capabilities to Queensland communities. The QFD provides a multi-hazard emergency response, including road crash rescue, bushfire, hazardous material, technical and vertical rescue, severe weather incidents, remote and swiftwater rescue, and provides a number of functions supporting community safety outcomes.

The department encompasses Queensland Fire and Rescue (QFR), Rural Fire Service Queensland (RFSQ), as well as the broader department which work together to pre-empt, prevent, mitigate and manage the consequences of fires and other emergencies on Queensland communities and support our large volunteer membership across the state.

The QFD is an organisation that is focused on reframing the department's relationship with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, communities, and organisations through the Path to Treaty, Closing the Gap and building our cultural capability.

Purpose of the role

The RFSQ, as bushfire experts, lead and manage a range of operational and organisational functions primarily directed at supporting approximately 33,000 volunteers and rural fire brigades. These brigades 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 other brigades and emergency services during emergency disasters, volunteer brigades undertake a range of planning and preparation activities. These activities ensure communities are well prepared for the bushfire season and include community education, hazard reduction, and mitigation activities aimed at reducing 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. As the senior fire leader for your District, you're right at the heart of bushfire mitigation, community readiness and emergency response. You'll bring people together to guide strategy, implement plans and champion the volunteer brigades who fight to keep Queensland's rural and regional communities safe. Your remit will include overseeing complex prescribed burns, supporting the Area Fire Warden Network, working closely with First Nations experts around traditional cultural fire initiatives
- and a great deal more. And as you draw on your expertise to shape strategic and operational plans and manage budgets and assets, you'll be building deep connections to the communities you serve. This is an important, hands-on, different-every-day role where you'll influence, guide, inspire and make numerous highspeed calls and decisions that save lives and make a measurable impact in others. Your extensive experience in modern bushfire management is vital, but it's your passion and your ability to lead with heart, clarity, energy and purpose that make the real difference.

Key requirements

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

QFD 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, QFD.

Highly desirable requirements
- Postgraduate 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.
- Experience with the concepts, strategies and issues associated with managing rural fire service / bushfire prevention and or control organisation particularly in a volunteer workplace, including knowledge of or experience in resource management appropriate to volunteers for the prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery phases in community support.
- Demonstrated ability and understanding of best practice policies and procedures when managing a diverse workforce incorporating volunteers, where strategic oversight and coordination has been utilised to assist Apply on Kit Job: kitjobau.com/job/3ra0r8