AFAC25: It’s a wrap

AFAC25 powered by INTERSCHUTZ, Australasia’s largest emergency management conference and exhibition, returned to Perth for the first time in 7 years with record-breaking energy and a renewed focus on resilience, innovation, and collaboration.

Australian Fire Danger Rating System training reminder

With the change of seasons and risk of fire danger increasing across the country, now is the ideal time to prepare and refresh your understanding of the Australian Fire Danger Rating System.

Scam alert: Unauthorised sellers impersonating AFAC staff

We are aware of scammers impersonating AFAC employees, including using the names 'Thomas Clement' and 'Oliver Smith' with the title 'Senior Volunteer Coordinator' to advertise so-called 'AFAC-backed' shipping containers.

Bushfire Emerging Technologies Hub Project

AFAC has become a member of Global AI Collaborative: Wildfires, a strategic initiative by Google.org bringing together leading not-for-profits, academic institutions, government agencies, and companies to help people and communities better manage fires by using AI.

Spark Operational 1.3.0 - Major functional and scientific enhancements

The Spark Operational 1.3.0 release brings with it a series of major scientific and operational improvements for bushfire simulation across Australia. This release is not just an incremental update, it introduces new models, greater flexibility for ensemble simulations, and advances in scenario analysis, amplifying the capacity of Spark to deliver trusted decision support for Fire Behaviour Analysts.

Volunteers embrace the new Response to Electric Vehicle Incident – Foundation Training program

In the 2 months since its launch, over 1,000 members from Australian emergency response agencies have completed the Response to Electric Vehicle (EV) Incident – Foundation Training course and have given the course an average rating of 4.6 stars out of 5.

Australasian crews set to return home after a challenging Canadian wildfire season

Australian and New Zealand firefighters have been on the ground in Canada since 2 June 2025.

AFAC25 RFS reflects – Our Reconciliation journey

On November 09, 2023, NSW Rural Fire Service became one of the first emergency service agencies in Australia to have a Reconciliation Action Plan endorsed by Reconciliation Australia.

AFAC25 Enhancement of flood rescue in NSW

NSW SES was tasked to coordinate and drive the implementation of recommendations from the NSW State Rescue Board following the inquiry, and lift flood response capability across all emergency service organisations (ESOs). To this end NSW SES established a Flood Rescue Enhancement Program (FREP) to ensure a timely delivery of outcomes to bolster flood rescue capabilities and coordination.

AFAC25 Empowering locally informed recovery in Northern Australia: A Queensland perspective

This presentation will highlight the recovery and resilience strategies applied in response to disaster events, like Tropical Cyclone Jasper in 2023-24. Mr. Brett Matthews representing the Human and Social Functional Resilience and Recovery Group in Queensland, will explain significant initiatives that enhanced efficiency and inclusivity within the recovery process. These strategies serve as a testament to the power of ingenuity in bridging the distance between communities and their homes during the crucial recovery phase.

AFAC25 Handing over the baton - An end-to-end approach to emergency management, preparation, and recovery

The paper maps out the steps, activities and challenges to build this capability with a focus on solutions, change management and how lessons have been addressed. The paper also explores the benefits and complexities of this multi-hazard, response and recovery structure. It draws on our experience in recent emergency incidents to demonstrate the ways in which information sharing and bringing internal teams in earlier puts responders on the front foot when dealing with an emergency. This in turn, enables recovery teams to move quickly into recovery activities, contributing to improved recovery outcomes and increased community resilience.

AFAC25 Amplifying the volunteer voice: Shaping our organisation with insights from the frontline

The Volunteer Voice Project commenced in late 2023 with the aim of setting the foundations for a more meaningful, consistent, and sustainable representation of the volunteer voice in projects and decision-making processes across Fire and Emergency.