It is a legislative requirement unique to Western Australia’s Bush Fires Act 1954 that Local Governments manage volunteer Bush Fire Brigades. One hundred and eleven Western Australian Local Governments, of varying size and capacity, manage 563 Bush Fire Brigades, totalling more than 20,000 volunteers.


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Work Health and Safety Resources

The Work Health and Safety Act 2020 (WHS Act) was given Royal Assent in November 2020. The WHS Act was initially scheduled to commence on 1 January 2022, commencement of the legislation was delayed until March 2022 following advocacy from WALGA and other stakeholders to allow a longer transition period.  Although many of the requirements under the WHS Act exist in the current Occupational Safety and Health Act 1984, there are a number of aspects of the WHS Act, particularly as they relate to Local Government’s responsibilities for volunteer Bush Fire Brigades, that require further consideration by the sector and volunteers. Please see WALGA's InfoPage to Local Government CEO's here for more information. 

For Local Government resources, please visit the LGIS website and below. Template forms: LGIS Work Health and Safety resources and publications *Accessible via LGIS membership login (discuss with your HR department)

For General Resources, please visit the WorkSafe website.
Subscribe to the WorkSafe news alert for news and updates about workplace health and safety in Western Australia. 

Webinar: WHS Info Session for Local Governments managing Bush Fire Brigades

On Wednesday, 9 February 2022, WALGA and LGIS hosted a webinar to update Local Governments about the new Work Health and Safety legislation and the implications for the management of Bush Fire Brigade volunteers, and to introduce Local Governments to the functionality of the Department of Fire and Emergency Services’ (DFES) Volunteer Hub. Presentations covered the changes resulting from the new Work Health and Safety Act 2020, ways to reduce the level of risk and meet your legislative obligations, and DFES’s Volunteer Hub.
  • The webinar presentations are available here
  • The recording of DFES's Volunteer Hub walk-through is available here.
  • The Q&A Summary to address the questions raised at the webinar is available here

Webinar: WHS Legislation and Local Government Bush Fire Brigades

On Tuesday, 31 August 2021, WALGA and LGIS hosted a webinar to inform Local Governments about the new WHS Act and the implications for the management of Bush Fire Brigade volunteers. Presentations covered the changes resulting from the new WHS Act, ways to reduce the level of risk and meet your legislative obligations, as well as a Local Government best practice case study and update from the Department of Fire and Emergency Services on their training program.

  • The webinar presentations are available here
  • The webinar recording is available here

Guidelines for Operating Private Equipment at Fires

The DFES Bushfire Centre of Excellence has released updated Guidelines for Operating Private Equipment to support operators to understand their responsibilities, and the associated risks, when responding to a bushfire. 

Training

For information on DFES’ Bushfire Training Products and how Local Government officers can become a qualified DFES trainer assessor and deliver training locally, please read WALGA's Bushfire Training For Local Governments InfoPage.

For further information, contact the Bushfire Centre of Excellence or your DFES regional office.

In the first instance, any requests for training should be sent through to your DFES regional office. If a Local Government is facing barriers accessing training for their Brigades, please advise WALGA via em@walga.asn.au and we will see if we can assist.