2024-25 Quarter 2 Fire Services Outcomes Framework Progress Report

The Fire Services Outcomes Framework Progress Report is prepared and published in accordance with the Fire Services Implementation Monitor’s (FSIM) functions under section 141 of the Fire Rescue Victoria Act 1958. It includes current results, comparisons to historical data, and commentary from FSIM on select results from the Country Fire Authority’s (CFA) and Fire Rescue Victoria’s (FRV) respective outcomes frameworks for the second quarter of the 2024-25 financial year.

FSIM publishes these quarterly reports on its website at www.vic.gov.au/fsim-publications.

In this quarter, CFA reported on 24 indicators (see Appendix A) and FRV reported on 25 measures (see Appendix B).

CFA’s Year 5 Outcomes Framework

CFA conducts an annual review of its outcomes framework as part of a continuous improvement approach. Continuous improvement of outcomes frameworks helps to ensure that agencies focus on the right data and information when making decisions. CFA reported on its Year 5 outcomes framework for the first time in quarter 2.

The most recent review introduced two new annual indicators and four new quarterly indicators, including:

• 2.4.1 Road accident rescue response times meeting benchmark, and
• 3.4.7 Increase delivery of operational training to CFA volunteers.

CFA reported on these indicators for the first time in quarter 2.

In relation to indicator 2.4.1, CFA has clarified that in this quarter (year-to-date), 127 incidents were attended by accredited road accident rescue brigades, with 121 of these incidents meeting CFA’s response time benchmarks (i.e. 20 mins for urban areas and 40 mins for rural areas). This resulted in an overall result of 95 per cent, which is above the sector target of 90 per cent.

CFA also made several tweaks to business rules to improve clarity, and updated the method of calculation from ‘average’ to ‘median’ for the following indicators:

• 2.2.3 Decrease median time spent suppressing structure fires (time spent on scene of incident), and
• 2.2.4 Decrease in median time to control vegetation fires.

FSIM notes that while these updates mean that comparisons to historical reporting cannot be made, FSIM acknowledges CFA’s rationale for this change on the basis that the use of a median calculation is appropriate when data is skewed and includes outliers, as it does in this case.

CFA has also applied the new business rules to baseline calculations.

FRV’s outcomes framework

FRV is developing a revised outcomes framework and anticipate that it will be used for reporting from quarter 1 2025-26. FRV reported on progress against its existing outcomes framework for reporting this quarter.

CFA indicators and FRV measures short-listed for reporting

FSIM has reported on select results based on the following criteria:

• demonstrates a notable achievement:
  • CFA: Increase in the number of community members engaging with CFA (indicator 1.2.1).
  • FRV: Number of women firefighters in leadership roles (measure 3.2.1b)
• continuing off-track trend over repeated quarters:
  • FRV: Percentage of response to structure fire incidents within 7.7 minutes (target 90 per cent) (measure 2.1.3a).
• significant change from the previous quarter (positive or negative):
  • CFA: An increase in hazard reporting within CFA locations (indicator 3.1.1) – reflecting a negative change.
  • FRV: Number of engagements with Local Government Areas by the Community Safety Team (measure 1.3.1) – reflecting a positive change.
  • FRV: Proportion of preventable residential structure fires attended by Fire Rescue Victoria by time of day contained to room of origin (measure 2.1.1b) – reflecting a positive change.

Issues impacting data quality and data availability

Where applicable, FRV has been working to transition to reporting using Australian Incident Reporting System (AIRS) data, following the December 2022 cyber-attack. Consistent with the previous quarter, FRV reported on 6 measures using AIRS data and 2 other measures using Triple Zero Victoria (TZV) Computer Aided Dispatch data. See Appendix B for the list of measures reported this quarter using AIRS data.

FSIM will continue to monitor FRV's progress to restore AIRS for reporting on the 1 outstanding measure (1.2.3), once a full 12 months of AIRS data is available for reporting.

The data quality for FRV’s measures that are reported as a rolling 12-month average is still impacted by industrial action in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 financial years. Therefore, FRV advises that the Q2, 2024-25 result for ‘Measure 1.2.3: Number of properties with six or more false alarms on different days (rolling 12 months)’ cannot be compared with previous quarters. FRV also advises that the accuracy of false alarm data has improved this quarter due to multiple industrial action ending.

CFA: Increase in the number of community members engaging with CFA

CFA reported a significant increase in the number of community members that engaged with CFA this quarter, compared to the previous reporting period. This quarter, 82,727 community members engaged with CFA, which is 64,070 higher than the quarter 1 result of 18,656. This quarter’s result is also 68.6 per cent higher than the baseline of 49,053 (Figure 1).

FSIM notes that this quarter’s result is also the highest recorded result for this indicator since reporting commenced.

FRV: Number of women firefighters in leadership roles

FRV reported an increase in women firefighters in leadership roles. This is a notable achievement because increasing recruitment and retention of women firefighters, and building leadership capability for women, is a priority commitment for FRV as identified in the FRV’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Strategy 2025-32 and its Gender Equality Action Plan 2022-25.

In this quarter, four women were promoted into leadership roles from the rank of Leading Firefighter to Station Officer, increasing the number of women firefighters in leadership roles to 28.

FRV: Percentage of response to structure fire incidents within 7.7 minutes

For the seventeenth consecutive quarter, FRV did not meet its target for responding to structure fire incidents. FRV reported a result of 86.40 per cent this quarter, which is 3.60 per cent short of its target of 90 per cent (Figure 3). FRV last met this target in Q1 2020-21.

FRV attributes its challenges in meeting response targets to three main factors, including location accessibility, limited resource coverage, and turnout times. FRV advises that as part of its service planning efforts, it is working towards a sustainable approach to service delivery, including the need for additional stations and response units to improve geographic and resource coverage. FRV further advises that it plans to conduct an analysis of station layout and turnout protocols to identify further improvements.

CFA: An increase in hazard reporting within CFA locations

CFA reported a decrease in the number of hazards reported in the CFA Safe System this quarter, from 103 in quarter 1 to 84 in quarter 2. This is a decline of 18.4 per cent from the quarter 1 result and is below the quarter 2 baseline of 104.

CFA observed that while there is no clear pattern to explain the results for this quarter, a range of factors, including changes in operational conditions, shifts in reporting behaviour or external influences may have impacted staff awareness or engagement. CFA noted that the overall trend remains consistent with previous reporting periods.

FRV: Number of engagements with Local Government Areas by the Community Safety Team

FRV reported an increase in the number of engagements with Local Governments Areas by the Community Safety Team to 107 this quarter, compared to 68 in the previous quarter. This is an increase of 57 per cent and is the highest recorded result for this measure.

FRV attributes this increase to the number of meetings scheduled by councils during the reporting period. FRV note that in addition to the specific emergency management planning meetings organised by local councils, this measure also includes community development activities, such as the Municipal Fire Prevention Officer training courses.

FRV: Proportion of preventable residential structure fires attended by Fire Rescue Victoria by time of day contained to room of origin

FRV reported a significantly higher result than the previous quarter in the 1am-7am time period for this measure. In this quarter, 31.5 per cent more preventable residential fires were attend by FRV and contained to the room of origin, during the 1am to 7am time period, compared to quarter 1.

FSIM notes this result is high in light of FRV’s advice that fire containment during this period can be impacted by delayed notifications to Triple Zero due to people generally being asleep at this time.

Definitions

This is CFA’s outcomes progress report for Q2 2024-25. This progress report includes results against CFA’s quarterly outcome metrics.

This is FRV’s outcomes progress report for Q2 2024-25. This progress report includes results against FRV’s quarterly outcome metrics.