What Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB) does

Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) is the statutory fire and rescue authority for the Australian state of Victoria, established on 1 July 2020 under the Fire Rescue Victoria Act 1958 via the consolidation of the former Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB) and other fire services. It operates 85 fire and rescue stations across metropolitan Melbourne and major regional centres, staffed 24/7 by career firefighters, with many regional stations co-located alongside Country Fire Authority (CFA) volunteer brigades under a Service Level Deed.

The organisation delivers a multi-modal emergency response capability covering structure fires, complex technical rescue, road crash response, emergency medical calls, and hazardous materials incidents. Beyond response, FRV drives systemic change to the built environment through building regulation enforcement (including Building Infringement Notices under the Building Act 1993) and a prescriptive library of Fire Safety Guidelines (GL-01 through GL-55) covering street hydrants, LPG installations, sprinklers, battery energy storage systems, and data centres. It also runs community education programs including Fire Ed for schools, Fire Ops 101, and translated safety resources in 24 languages, plus a joint e-learning program with CFA targeting higher-risk residents.

FRV's business model is overwhelmingly sovereign-funded: government appropriations plus municipal fire service contributions underwrite the core emergency response mandate delivered at no direct cost to citizens. Commercial revenue is a minor layer, comprising Fire Equipment Services (FES), a wholly-owned unit delivering paid emergency management consulting and training, and Building Fire Safety fees structured at 10 fee units for the first hour and 2.5 fee units per subsequent quarter hour (one fee unit equals A$16.81 in 2025/26). Fire Rescue Commissioner Gavin Freeman leads the organisation with over 35 years of emergency management experience.

Name

Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB)

Legal name

Fire Rescue Victoria

Website

https://mfb.vic.gov.au

Company type

Public

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Fire Rescue Victoria is a Victorian Government statutory authority operating 85 fire and rescue stations across metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria, delivering 24/7 firefighting, specialist rescue, building safety regulation, and community education programs funded by state appropriations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fire and Rescue Services

NAICS

Fire Protection (92216), Fire Protection (922160)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Fire & Rescue Services (Fire Suppression, Rescue) (BPAIAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Safety Administration (Fire/EMS, Emergency Management) (BPAIACAL), Fire & Life Safety Services (Inspection/Testing/Sprinklers/Alarms) (IMAIAAAI)

Keywords

• Fire and rescue services
• Emergency response services
• Building fire safety
• Fire safety education
• Hazardous materials response

Headquarters

HQ city

Melbourne

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Emergency Services: Government-funded fire and rescue services provided to communities across Victoria at no direct cost to citizens. Funded through state government appropriations and municipal fire service contributions.
2. Fire Equipment Services (FES): Commercial consulting and training programs for the community provided through FRV's commercial unit. Visit fes.com.au for booking information and tailored programs.
3. Building Fire Safety Services: Fees for fire protection reports, inspection requests, and fire prevention/suppression advice under Building Act 1993. Fees charged at 10 fee units for first hour and 2.5 fee units for each subsequent quarter hour.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Fire Rescue Victoria provides 24/7 fire and rescue emergency response across 85 stations in metropolitan Melbourne and major regional centres of Victoria, responding to fires, complex rescues, road crashes, emergency medical calls, and hazardous chemical spills. The organization also delivers building fire safety inspections and reports under the Building Act 1993, commercial training and consulting through its Fire Equipment Services (FES) subsidiary, and comprehensive fire safety education programs for schools, communities, and vulnerable populations including translated resources in 24 languages.

Product overview

Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) is a government fire and rescue service organization that operates as a single unified emergency service rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core offering is fire and rescue emergency response across 85 stations in Victoria, supported by Fire Equipment Services (FES) as a commercial training and consulting arm. The portfolio includes fire safety guidelines (GL-01 through GL-55), home fire safety education materials available in 24 languages, e-learning programs, school education programs, and community safety initiatives. These products and services work together to deliver FRV's three-pronged purpose: delivering expert fire and rescue services, driving systemic change to the built environment through building regulations, and educating the community through fire prevention programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Fire Equipment Services (FES): Commercial unit of Fire Rescue Victoria providing emergency management, consulting and training programs for the community.

Products and services

• Fire and Rescue Emergency Response

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Country Fire Authority (CFA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFRV works with CFA as a community-based volunteer fire service partner. Many FRV regional stations are co-located with CFA volunteer brigades. A Service Level Deed Agreement sees FRV provide services on behalf of CFA for the built environment across Victoria.
• Victorian Building AuthoritycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFRV works with the Victorian Building Authority on the state-wide combustible cladding audit to identify inappropriate cladding on buildings and create risk reports.
• Cladding Safety VictoriacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFRV collaborates with Cladding Safety Victoria on building fire safety initiatives and cladding remediation programs.
• Fire Equipment Services (FES)coreTechnology or IntegrationFES is a commercial unit of Fire Rescue Victoria that provides emergency management, consulting and training programs for the community. Visit fes.com.au for information.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• National Fire Protection Association (NFPA): US-based standards body for fire and life safety. Comparable function to FRV's guideline-issuing role (GL-01 to GL-55) in shaping codes and built-environment safety standards, although not a responder service.

Direct peers

• Tasmania Fire Service: Tasmania's state-wide fire service. Comparable small-state statutory fire authority with mixed career and volunteer response and similar bushfire/urban interface risk profile.
• South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service: Statutory metropolitan fire service for South Australia. Closely aligned metropolitan career-firefighter model with comparable urban fire, rescue and hazardous-materials response remit.
• Fire and Rescue NSW: Statutory metropolitan fire and rescue service for New South Wales. Closely comparable statutory model, career-staffed urban response and similar scope of fire, rescue and hazardous-materials capabilities.
• Country Fire Authority (CFA): Victoria's community-based volunteer fire service. CFA is the closest peer in the same state, sharing geographic responsibility and a Service Level Deed with FRV for built-environment services.
• Queensland Fire and Emergency Services: Queensland's state-wide fire and emergency service. Comparable single-state statutory authority delivering urban firefighting, rescue and emergency management across a large geographic footprint.
• Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ): New Zealand's unified fire and emergency service combining urban, rural and emergency-management functions. Comparable integrated statutory fire model with career and volunteer components.

Broad incumbents

• London Fire Brigade: Statutory fire and rescue service for Greater London. International incumbent with comparable urban firefighting, rescue and community-safety education mandate under a metropolitan governance framework.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/FireRescueVic
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@firerescuevictoria
• Facebookfacebook.com/FireRescueVic
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/metropolitan-fire-brigade
• Instagraminstagram.com/firerescuevictoria

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB)