Strengthening the future in Queensland

Queensland Fire and Emergency Services is using Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC research to support its strategic planning into the next decade.

The CRC has been engaged by QFES to integrate research into its new Strategy 2030, which will be released later this year. Strategy 2030 will position QFES as an innovative and trusted leader in community safety, adaptable to the changing needs and expectations of the community.  

CRC Partnership Development Manager, Sarah Mizzi, said the use of research and expertise to support strategic planning for its partners was an emerging area of activity.

“The CRC is keen to leverage QFES’ current investment in the research centre to allow for the delivery of work that will help shape the future of the organisation.”

The CRC has coordinated a number of components of QFES’ strategy development framework that includes thought leadership from CRC core staff, original research and strategic foresight.

The CRC attended three on-site visits earlier this year to develop the relationship with the QFES Executive Leadership team and other key staff.

CRC researchers A/Prof Chris Bearman and Prof Vivienne Tippett provided evidence informed insights to QFES by conducting research on community expectations of emergency services, both now and how these expectations might change in the future. This will ensure QFES continues to develop and align services that meet the needs of the Queensland community.

The CRC has also engaged the expertise of a strategic foresight consultant, Kate Delaney from John Robinson Consulting Services, who has worked with the CRC, QFES and key stakeholders to develop alternate scenarios that will help QFES better plan its future.

By partnering with the CRC for this work, QFES will have a better understanding of how it can work with the community, rather than for the community, during times of need. Through the strategy development process, QFES has also benefited from expertise in the CRC’s ongoing research across a number of programs including emergency management capability, incident management, volunteering, emergency warnings and communications. 

This type of support and expertise is an area that the CRC hopes to offer to other partners across the emergency services and land management sector. Involvement in these types of initiatives can help the CRC in its role as a trusted advisor to these sectors, using learnings and insights from research.

The CRC’s involvement in the development of Strategy 2030 is just one part of the process for QFES, who is also working with key stakeholders across the sector on how it can better work together to meet the needs of the community. 

The CRC is well positioned to provide support to QFES in this process, Ms Mizzi explained.

“We have developed a lot of knowledge at the CRC on natural hazards and emergency management, building on work conducted over 15 years under the Bushfire CRC and the current centre. We are more than just a research centre; we are committed to delivering value to our partners by supporting them to use insights from our research to deliver better services and work closer with the community over the longer term.

“As a research thought leader, we want to help our partners and the community better prepare for, respond to and recover from emergencies and create a more disaster resilient Australia,” Ms Mizzi said.

The CRC’s involvement in the QFES Strategy 2030 process will formally conclude in September.