Department of Fire and Emergency Services Western Australia

What Department of Fire and Emergency Services Western Australia does

The Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) is a Western Australian state government department established in 1998 under the Fire and Emergency Services Act 1998, serving as the state's primary Hazard Management Agency for fire, flood, cyclone, storm, earthquake, tsunami, and hazardous materials incidents. DFES delivers all-hazards emergency management across the four phases of prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery for the entire state of Western Australia. Core operations are organized through five wholly-owned divisions: Career Fire and Rescue Service, State Emergency Service (SES), Bush Fire Service, Volunteer Fire and Rescue Service, and Marine Rescue Western Australia, supported by more than 26,000 volunteers alongside career firefighters and specialist staff. The department operates from a headquarters and Emergency Service Complex in Cockburn Central, the WA Fire and Emergency Services Academy in Forrestfield, the Bushfire Centre of Excellence in Nambeelup, 14 regional offices spanning from Albany to Kununurra, and dedicated fleet, built environment, and chaplaincy functions.

DFES's product portfolio spans frontline emergency response, multi-channel warning systems (emergency.wa.gov.au, 13 3337, 132 500, 000, 106 text relay), digital platforms for local-government coordination (Bushfire Risk Management Planning Portal, Local Government EM Knowledge Hub), community education programs (school education, Heritage Centre), specialized training (Karla Katitjin Traineeship Program, five-year Firefighter Development Program), state-bushfire mitigation services including planned burns and fuel reduction, fleet maintenance, and statutory administration of the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements Western Australia (DRFAWA). DFES administers statutory compliance for built environment and fire safety, manages the Direct Brigade Alarm network, and operates an integrated hazard information platform covering bushfire, cyclone, storm, flood, tsunami, earthquake, hazmat, and lithium-ion battery risks.

DFES is funded by the Government of Western Australia through the Emergency Services Levy collected from property owners and direct appropriations, with secondary funding flows from the Australian Government under the DRFA for eligible disasters. Services are delivered free of charge to the public, with limited fee-based services for commercial building inspections and incident report requests. The current strategic direction is set by DFES Strategy 2026-2031, which prioritizes evolving risk management, future capability and leadership development, data and information harnessing, and excellence in emergency management.

Name

Department of Fire and Emergency Services Western Australia

Legal name

Department of Fire and Emergency Services

Website

https://dfes.wa.gov.au

Company type

Public

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) is Western Australia's primary state government Hazard Management Agency, delivering all-hazards emergency response, preparedness, recovery, and community safety across the state through career fire services and more than 26,000 volunteers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Safety and Emergency Services

NAICS

Fire Protection (92216)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Natural Disaster Preparedness & Recovery (Storm/Flood/Wildfire) (BPABANAI)

Keywords

• Emergency management services
• Fire and rescue
• Disaster recovery funding
• Bushfire risk management
• Emergency warning systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Cockburn Central

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices23 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Emergency Services Levy: DFES is funded through the Emergency Services Levy (ESL) which is collected from property owners in Western Australia to fund fire and emergency services.
2. Government Funding: Core government funding from Western Australian Government for emergency services operations, disaster recovery funding administration, and community safety programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

DFES delivers fire suppression, rescue, hazardous materials response, and natural disaster response across Western Australia through career firefighters and 26,000+ volunteers across Bush Fire Services, VFRS, SES, and Marine Rescue WA. It provides hazard preparedness education, multi-channel emergency warning systems, bushfire risk management planning support for local governments, and administers joint Commonwealth-State disaster recovery funding. Services are provided free of charge to the public and funded through the Emergency Services Levy and Western Australian Government appropriations.

Product overview

DFES is a government emergency services department providing a comprehensive suite of services organized around fire emergency response, disaster management, and community safety. The core offerings include career and volunteer firefighting services (Career Firefighting, State Emergency Service), specialized training programs (Bushfire Centre of Excellence with the Karla Katitjin Traineeship Program), digital platforms for emergency management (Bushfire Risk Management Planning Portal, Local Government EM Knowledge Hub, Recovery WA), and community education programs (School Education Programs, Heritage Centre). DFES also administers the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements Western Australia (DRFAWA) for disaster recovery and provides specialized fleet maintenance services. The organization operates across prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery phases of emergency management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• DFES: Department of Fire and Emergency Services - primary brand abbreviation for Western Australia's fire and emergency services department
• Bushfire Centre of Excellence
• WA Fire and Emergency Services Academy

Products and services

• Bushfire Centre of Excellence (BCoE) A specialised centre dedicated to bushfire training, research, and the Karla Katitjin Traineeship Program, providing cultural knowledge and practical bushfire management skills for emergency services personnel.
• Career Firefighting Career firefighter recruitment and training program including a 15-week trainee school at the WA Fire and Emergency Services Academy and a five-year Firefighter Development Program leading to Senior Firefighter rank.
• State Emergency Service (SES) Volunteer division of DFES providing assistance with structural damage, emergency repairs, fallen tree removal, sandbagging, flood water pumping, and rescuing trapped or injured people during natural disasters.
• Bushfire Risk Management Planning Portal Digital portal developed by the Office of Bushfire Risk Management (OBRM) to assist Western Australian local governments in developing, maintaining, and reviewing their Bushfire Risk Management Plans.
• Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements Western Australia (DRFAWA) Formal agreement between the Commonwealth and Western Australian Governments administered by DFES providing financial assistance for disaster recovery including emergency assistance, essential public asset reconstruction, and community recovery programs.
• Local Government Emergency Management Knowledge Hub Online resource providing overview of roles and responsibilities for Western Australian local governments regarding emergency management, organised around the four phases of emergency management: Prevention, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery.
• School Education Programs Educational resources for teachers, parents, and caregivers to help children and young people understand hazards and stay safe before, during, and after emergencies or disasters.
• Heritage Centre (Old Central Fire Station) The Old Central Fire Station Heritage Centre offering over 125 years of fire brigade history in Western Australia, located at Perth's historic first fire station, providing education programs for visitors.
• Recovery WA Portal Online portal providing hazard recovery information, financial assistance programs, and details on current and past disaster recovery efforts for Western Australian communities.
• State Bushfire Mitigation Vegetation management and fuel reduction program including forestry mulching, slashing, chemical works, and planned burns; also manages Unallocated Crown Land and Unmanaged Reserves.
• Emergency Fleet Services Fleet maintenance services for DFES emergency vehicles including auto electrical work, heavy diesel fire appliance technician work, and vehicle body building.
• Emergency Warning Systems Multi-channel emergency warning and alert systems for bushfires, cyclones, storms, floods, tsunamis, and earthquakes, including the emergency.wa.gov.au platform, the 13 3337 public information line, and integration with the Bureau of Meteorology.

Quantifiable outcome

• Lithium-ion battery fire incidents responded to: more than 3 per week across Western Australia

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Department of Education Western AustraliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDFES and Department of Education work together to proactively manage bushfire risk on public school sites across Western Australia. Objectives include ensuring effective preparation for bushfire threat, proposing mitigation activities for at-risk schools including fuel management and Bushfire Plans, and assisting with school fire drills and preparedness activities.
• Department of Justice Western AustraliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDFES collaborates with Department of Justice for bushfire mitigation works carried out by Section 95 prison teams under the Prisoners Act 1981. Prison farms including Karnet, Wooroloo, Greenough, Dowerin, Bunbury, and Pardelup participate in vegetation management and fuel reduction works, supporting both community safety and prisoner rehabilitation.
• Local Governments of Western AustraliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDFES supports local governments through the Bushfire Risk Management Program, providing the Bushfire Risk Management Planning Portal, Mitigation Activity Fund Grants, and District Emergency Management Advisors in each EM district. Local governments develop tenure-blind Bushfire Risk Management Plans with DFES coordination.
• Australian GovernmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint arrangements between Australian and Western Australian governments under Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA) provide financial assistance for eligible disaster recovery. DFES coordinates all communication with Australian Government and confirms disaster eligibility.
• RSPCA WAsupportingOthersRSPCA WA is referenced as a resource for animal welfare support during natural disasters, assisting with care of affected animals and animal rescue operations in fire-affected areas.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• CAL FIRE: California's state-level fire agency responsible for wildfire protection across vast state territory. Comparable in scale, statutory authority, and all-hazards wildfire response mandate, though operating in the US regulatory environment.
• Fire and Emergency New Zealand: New Zealand's unified fire and emergency services organization. Comparable in combining fire, rescue, and broader emergency response under a single national authority, though operating in a different national jurisdiction.

Others

• National Emergency Management Agency (Australia): Australian Government agency coordinating national disaster preparedness, response, and recovery. Adjacent peer given shared emergency management mandate and federal-state coordination role overlapping DFES's DRFAWA administration responsibilities.

Direct peers

• ACT Emergency Services Agency: Australian Capital Territory's combined fire, rescue, and emergency services agency. Smaller-scale direct peer in the Australian state/territory emergency services landscape with similar statutory government agency structure.
• Queensland Fire and Emergency Services: Queensland's fire and emergency services department combining career and volunteer firefighters. Direct Australian state-level peer with overlapping all-hazards mandate and government-funded operating model.
• Country Fire Authority (CFA): Victoria's primary volunteer-based fire and emergency services agency. Most direct Australian peer given comparable volunteer-driven fire and rescue model, all-hazards mandate, and statutory government authority analogous to DFES WA.
• SA Metropolitan Fire Service: South Australia's metropolitan fire and rescue service. State-level Australian peer operating under similar statutory authority and providing comparable structural firefighting, rescue, and hazmat response services.
• Fire and Rescue NSW: NSW's statutory fire and rescue agency delivering structural firefighting, rescue, and hazmat response. Comparable scope and statutory authority model, though more career-staff dominated than DFES WA's volunteer-heavy structure.
• NSW Rural Fire Service: NSW's volunteer-based bushfire agency with comparable mandate for bushfire suppression, community education, and hazard mitigation. Highly comparable given shared focus on volunteer brigades and bushfire-prone regional geographies.
• Tasmania Fire Service: Tasmania's primary fire and emergency services agency. Comparable Australian state-level peer with bushfire response focus and mixed career/volunteer staffing model, smaller in scale but operationally analogous.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/dfeswesternaustralia
• Facebookfacebook.com/dfeswa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/department-of-fire-and-emergency-services-wa
• Instagraminstagram.com/dfes_wa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries5 records

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 Department of Fire and Emergency Services Western Australia