Tasmania State Emergency Service

What Tasmania State Emergency Service does

Tasmania State Emergency Service (Tasmania SES) is a Tasmanian State Government emergency management agency providing flood, storm, tsunami, and related emergency response, preparedness, and recovery services to all Tasmanian residents, businesses, and local councils. Founded in June 1976 to replace the Civil Defence and Emergency Services organization, it celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2026 and operates under the Tasmanian Department of Police, Fire & Emergency Management (DPFEM). The organization is currently undergoing structural reform as part of the Tasmania Fire and Emergency Service (TFES) initiative, which will consolidate SES with Tasmania Fire Service under a new statutory authority led by a Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner and a skills-based board.

The agency's product portfolio centers on emergency information and warning systems. Core digital products include the TasALERT emergency alert platform (alert.tas.gov.au), the new SES Storm Warning System launching May 2026 (a three-tier Advice/Watch & Act/Emergency Warning framework aligned with the national Australian Warning System), the Tasmanian Strategic Flood Maps — a $3 million interactive mapping tool released May 2025 showing property-level flood risk at 1% Annual Exceedance Probability — and over 60 community flood guides covering localities across Tasmania's 29 local government areas. Underlying technology integrates Bureau of Meteorology forecasts and river-gauge data, ABC Local Radio emergency broadcasts, and the Australian Warning System's standardized icons and action statements. Distribution is delivered through three regional headquarters (South/Hobart, North/Launceston, North West), a state disaster management unit, an extensive volunteer unit network, and digital channels including a multilingual website available in English, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Korean, Thai, and Malay.

Tasmania SES is a publicly funded statutory entity that provides its services free of charge to all Tasmanian residents and visitors. It has no commercial revenue model, no pricing structure, and no customer segmentation beyond universal service delivery. Revenue is sourced exclusively from Tasmanian State Government appropriations routed through DPFEM, and the organization is currently being re-established in legislation as part of the TFES reforms. Its go-to-market approach is mandated universal coverage rather than market-driven sales, leveraging 24/7 emergency lines (132 500 and Triple Zero 000), the TasALERT platform, regional offices, and community engagement programs such as Driver Reviver and WOW Day to fulfill its statutory remit.

Name

Tasmania State Emergency Service

Legal name

Tasmania State Emergency Service

Website

https://ses.tas.gov.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Tasmania State Emergency Service is a Tasmanian State Government agency that provides flood, storm, tsunami, and emergency preparedness, response, and recovery services to all Tasmanian residents, businesses, and 29 local councils. It operates TasALERT, flood maps, and community warning systems free of charge under the Department of Police, Fire & Emergency Management.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Emergency Management Services

NAICS

Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230), Fire Protection (92216)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro primary industry

Emergency Management & Disaster Response (EOC, Civil Defense) (BPAIAGAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Evacuation, Shelter, Mass Care & Family Reunification (HLAJAGAG), Natural Disaster Preparedness & Recovery (Storm/Flood/Wildfire) (BPABANAI)

Keywords

• Emergency management services
• Flood warning systems
• Storm preparedness
• Community flood guides
• Disaster response coordination

Headquarters

HQ city

Hobart

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Tasmania State Emergency Service delivers emergency management services for floods, storms, tsunami, and related hazards across all of Tasmania. It provides real-time warning systems, strategic flood mapping, community preparedness guides, and 24/7 emergency response through volunteer units and regional offices, all coordinated via the TasALERT platform and the Australian Warning System.

Product overview

Tasmania State Emergency Service provides emergency management services focused on flood and storm preparedness, response, and recovery across Tasmania. The organization operates a portfolio of digital warning and information products including the SES Flood Warnings system, the upcoming SES Storm Warning System (launching May 2026), the Tasmanian Strategic Flood Maps interactive mapping tool, and a comprehensive set of over 60 Community Flood Guides for localized areas. These products are integrated through the TasALERT emergency alert platform, which coordinates warnings with the Bureau of Meteorology, ABC local radio, and the Australian Warning System to deliver consistent emergency communications across floods, storms, and other hazards.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SES Flood Warnings Real-time flood warning system providing alerts for Tasmania communities through the TasALERT platform, Bureau of Meteorology integration, and ABC local radio broadcasts. For all Tasmanian residents and property owners.
• SES Storm Warning System Storm-specific warning system using the Australian Warning System with three levels (Advice, Watch & Act, Emergency Warning) and nationally consistent icons to make storm warnings clearer and easier to understand for Tasmanian communities.
• Tasmanian Strategic Flood Maps Interactive mapping tool showing property flood risk across Tasmania using 1% Annual Exceedance Probability data, covering riverine flooding, flash flooding, and coastal inundation risks. Developed as a $3 million partnership project. For property owners, businesses, and local councils.
• Community Flood Guides Localized flood preparedness guides covering specific communities across Tasmania (over 60 communities including Meander Valley, Kingborough, Brighton, and others), providing advice on local flood risks, emergency preparation, and storm and flood readiness. For residents and businesses in flood-prone areas.
• TasALERT Emergency alert platform providing up-to-date information on emergency warnings and incidents across Tasmania, including SES rainfall and river level alerts. For all Tasmanians.
• SES Volunteer Program Volunteer-based emergency response service for floods, storms, road accident rescues, land search, and rescue operations across Tasmania. For community members who wish to contribute to emergency response.
• Personalised Complementary Emergency Planning (PCEP) Disability-specific emergency planning program providing personalised assistance for Tasmanians with disabilities to prepare for emergencies. For people with disability and their support networks.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Tasmania Fire Service (TFS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024SES and TFS are undergoing major reforms to form the Tasmania Fire and Emergency Service (TFES), bringing both services onto a common operating platform under the Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner. The TFS-SES Strategic Plan 2024-2028 outlines shared purpose, vision, and mission for unified emergency management.
• Bureau of Meteorology (BoM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoM provides weather forecasts, warnings, and observations that SES uses to issue flood warnings and storm alerts. BoM issues Flood Watches and Flood Warnings for Tasmanian rivers, with SES issuing warnings when rivers reach specific gauge levels.
• ABC Local RadiocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerABC local radio serves as an emergency broadcaster, providing critical warnings and updates during floods, storms, and other emergencies. SES directs the public to ABC radio for real-time emergency information.
• National Relay ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnables people who are deaf or have hearing/speech impairment to access SES emergency services through TTY, Speak and Listen, or internet relay connections.
• Tasmanian Local CouncilscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSES works with all 29 local government areas across Tasmania to understand flood risks and develop flood guides and risk reduction strategies. Partnerships include Meander Valley Council, Kingborough Council, and others.
• Department of Police, Fire & Emergency Management (DPFEM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSES is an operational pillar of DPFEM. The department provides governance, administrative support, and coordinates emergency management across Tasmania. DPFEM also handles media and communications for SES.
• Tasmania PolicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative emergency response partnership. Tasmania Police coordinates with SES during major incidents and emergency evacuations. Police provide security and traffic management during emergencies.
• Ambulance TasmaniacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmergency services integration within the Department of Police, Fire & Emergency Management, ensuring coordinated response to life-threatening emergencies.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Victoria State Emergency Service: Victoria SES is the closest direct peer: an Australian state-level volunteer-based emergency service responsible for flood, storm, and rescue response across Victoria, sharing the same operating model, volunteer structure, and integration with the Australian Warning System as Tasmania SES.
• Tasmania Fire Service: Tasmania Fire Service is a direct peer co-located under DPFEM and is actively being merged with Tasmania SES through the TFES reforms, sharing the same parent department, regional offices, and emerging unified operating platform.
• NSW State Emergency Service: NSW SES is the largest state emergency service in Australia and a direct peer in terms of flood/storm response, volunteer mobilization, and warning system operation, operating under a similar statutory framework and BoM integration model.
• South Australian State Emergency Service: SA SES performs the same flood, storm, and rescue functions for South Australia with a comparable volunteer network, regional unit structure, and reliance on the Australian Warning System, making it a structurally identical peer.

Broad incumbents

• Queensland Fire and Emergency Services: QFES is a broad incumbent covering fire and emergency services across Queensland with overlapping capabilities in storm response, rescue, and community warnings; it serves a much larger and more disaster-prone jurisdiction, making it a scaled analogue to Tasmania SES.
• Department of Fire and Emergency Services (WA): DFES is the Western Australian government agency delivering fire and emergency management with overlapping volunteer, warning, and response functions, comparable to Tasmania SES but operating at significantly larger scale.
• Country Fire Authority (Victoria): CFA is a large volunteer-based fire and emergency response organization in Victoria with a comparable regional unit model, community preparedness programs, and warning responsibilities, though with a stronger fire-suppression focus than Tasmania SES.

Others

• Australian Red Cross: Australian Red Cross delivers emergency relief, recovery, and shelter services that overlap with SES Tasmania's recovery mandate; it is an ecosystem participant delivering complementary post-emergency support rather than direct frontline response.
• Bureau of Meteorology: The Bureau of Meteorology is a core upstream partner that issues the flood and weather warnings Tasmania SES relies on for activations; it is an ecosystem participant rather than a competitor, but its operational coupling with SES makes it a directly comparable public emergency-information provider.
• Emergency Management Victoria: EMV is a coordinating and policy body for emergency management in Victoria; while it does not deliver frontline response, it is comparable as an adjacent government entity performing emergency preparedness, coordination, and risk reduction functions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/sestasmania
• Instagraminstagram.com/tasalert
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tasmania-ses

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Tasmania State Emergency Service