FRV policies

Over recent years Victoria’s fire and rescue services have responded to significant weather-related events. FRV recognises that the climate is changing.

FRV is committed to improving the resilience of our organisation and the community we serve to adapt our response to increasingly frequent and extreme weather events.

FRV is committed to providing emergency response, fire suppression and prevention services in a way that is safe, sustainable and environmentally conscious, and enables the organisation to continue to work effectively within the community.

FRV is committed to reducing the environmental impacts of its office and firefighting operational activities. More detail is included in the Environment Policy 2019.

FRV reports on environmental performance externally through its annual reports.

For further information, please contact FRV and ask to speak to the Environmental Compliance team.

Requests to FRV for access to documents under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 must be made in writing.

Each application must clearly identify the documents sought and include an application fee.

Please see the Freedom of Information page for more information and costs.

FRV fully supports the aims and requirements of the Gender Equality Act 2020 (Vic) and is committed to improving gender equality for our employees and in the services we provide to the Victorian community.

FRV’s Gender Equality Action Plan 2022-2025 (GEAP) will seek to:

• Develop a strong foundational understanding of equality, equity and inclusion that enables the creation of a psychologically safe, inclusive and respectful workplace
• Identify and remove barriers, if any, to our systems and processes, enabling equitable access to leave requirements, development opportunities, recruitment and promotion and a reduction in the gender pay gap
• Break down unhelpful gender stereotypes that prevent FRV from being a contemporary fire service that is reflective of, and responsive to, the community it serves

FRV will provide regular progress reports to the Gender Equality Commissioner on its progress against the Gender Equality Act 2020 (Vic) requirements.

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Progress Reporting

Defined entities are required to report on their gender equality progress to the Public Sector Gender Equality Commissioner every 2 years.

Progress reports must include:

• the policies, programs and services that were subject to a gender impact assessment
• the actions taken as a result of each gender impact assessment
• progress in relation to the measures and strategies set out in the Gender Equality Action Plan
• progress in relation to the workplace gender equality indicators
• whether any relevant targets or quotas were met.

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Progress Highlights – GEAP Implementation (August 2022 – 30 June 2023)

• 22 objectives – 18 in progress, 4 ongoing
• Scoping completed to enable better capture of employee gender identity
• Awareness-raising activities for foundational D&I concepts have reached almost 500 personnel
• Women’s Support Coordinators team attended 21 events to promote visibility of women firefighters, help break down existing gendered stigmas and increase recruitment
• 120 Workplace Behaviour sessions conducted; 73% of FRV Leaders have completed training
• Bias training included in recruitment and selection panel training
• Launch of Parental Leave Hub and materials for employees and Managers
• Flexible work policy drafted for feedback and consultation
• Extensive program and support network for people experiencing family violence
• Completion of two (2) Gender Impact Assessments

Progress Highlights – Workplace Gender Audit (1 July 2022 – 30 June 2023)

• The overall percentage of women in the workforce has increased from 11% to 12%
• Gender representation of the identified Governing body remains in favour of women (56%)
• FRV provided sufficient data to establish a baseline gender pay gap
• FRV has obtained insights into employee experience of sexual harassment in the workplace
• There was a decrease in the number of women exiting FRV
• Sixty-fiver percent of survey respondents accessed parental leave (86% of these respondents were men)
• There was a slight increase (4%) in the representation of women in technical roles compared to 202
• Continued refinement of data collection to strengthen data insights

Further insights in to FRVs progress towards workplace gender equality can be found by visiting the Gender Equality Commissioner’s Public Insights Portal(opens in a new window).

For further information, please contact genderequalityact@frv.vic.gov.au.

FRV employees need to act in a manner that gives the community, customers, Government, clients and business associates confidence they perform public duties without favouritism or bias, or for personal gain.

Respecting privacy is crucial for maintaining the trust of FRV personnel, safeguarding individuals’ personal and sensitive information and maintaining FRV’s compliance with applicable privacy laws.

FRV employees need to be well-informed about privacy obligations and aware of how FRV handles personal information about us, including the collection, use, disclosure and security of our personal information.

Privacy Policy – Fire Rescue Victoria Personnel:

• details the way FRV collects, uses, manages, discloses, and secures individuals’ personal information, sensitive information, and health information in accordance with the requirements of the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (PDP Act), the Health Records Act 2001, the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006
• provides enhanced organisational guidance to FRV’s employees, contractors and anyone performing work for or on behalf of FRV (collectively referred to as FRV personnel) regarding their privacy rights and obligations and to support them comply with their obligations.

For further information please contact privacy@frv.vic.gov.au 

Fire Rescue Victoria’s (FRV) procurement of goods and services adhere to Victorian Government Purchasing Board (VGPB) policies and directives established under the Financial Management Act 1994.

You can find out more information regarding FRV's procurement practices here.

FRV encourages employees and members of the public to report known or suspected incidences of improper conduct, or detrimental action.

To make a public interest disclosure, FRV personnel or members of the public must contact the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC). FRV is not an organisation authorised to receive and investigate a public interest disclosure. FRV personnel or members of the public seeking information about making a public interest disclosure can also contact IBAC or FRV's Public Interest Disclosure Coordinator.

FRV is committed to promoting respect, trust and positive relationships between our employees and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, communities and organisations.  

FRV’s inaugural Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan 2022-2024 (RAP) has been guided by consultation with our employee representatives and Reconciliation Australia. 

Our first RAP as FRV aims to build a strong foundation for FRV’s future RAPs and reconciliation initiatives. 

Key deliverables of our RAP will include:

• Increasing cultural awareness and an understanding of the purpose and significance behind cultural protocols across our workforce
• Establishing and strengthening relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stakeholders and organisations
• Assisting FRV to become a culturally safe workplace for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees
• Establishing procurement policies that monitor and increase Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander spend

For further information or to receive a copy of our RAP in an alternative format, please contact inclusion@frv.vic.gov.au.

FRV social media Terms of Use

Contents

1. Terms of use
2. Social media moderation at FRV
3. Guiding principles
4. Expectations of users
5. Disclaimer
6. Contacts

1. Terms of use

Fire Rescue Victoria is a modern fire and rescue service working to protect communities in Victoria’s metropolitan districts, outer suburban fringe and major regional centres.

Our social media channels (listed below) provide an important platform for sharing information about emergency incidents, safety advice and activities and events.

As an emergency services provider, FRV is committed to safety, not only on the fireground but in our online community.

FRV’s Terms of Use apply to all FRV-managed social media accounts.

We encourage all who use our social media channels to familiarise themselves with our Terms of Use before contributing to our pages.

By sharing content or interacting on our pages, users agree to be governed by these Terms of Use, along with any and all applicable Australian laws.

These Terms of Use may be modified at any time at FRV’s discretion. It is the responsibility of users to keep up to date with any changes to the Terms of Use.

2. Social media moderation at FRV

FRV manages and moderates the following social media accounts:

• Facebook (Fire Rescue Victoria)
• Instagram (firerescuevictoria)
• X (formerly known as Twitter) (@firerescuevic)
• LinkedIn (Fire Rescue Victoria)
• YouTube (@FireRescueVictoria)
• Commissioner X
• Commissioner LinkedIn

These accounts are for information purposes only.

Never report emergencies via social media.

Please contact Triple Zero (000) for all emergencies.

FRV’s social media accounts are monitored by FRV’s Media and Communications team during business hours (Monday – Friday 9am-5pm AEST.)

Please note that these platforms are not actively monitored outside of these hours.

We endeavour to respond to all enquiries as soon as possible.

FRV moderates our social media platforms in accordance with these Terms of Use.

We reserve the right to:

• Remove any content we deem to be inappropriate or a breach of our Terms of Use
• Block any users who consistently or significantly violate our Terms of Use.

FRV may also take other action, including legal action, where appropriate.

3. Guiding principles

In 2022, FRV launched our organisation’s inaugural values.

Our Values are:

We serve the community

We value teamwork

We have integrity

We show respect

We are accountable

Our Values reflect who we are and what is important to us.

We aim to live our Values in all that we do, including in our online interactions.

We encourage honest and open conversations on our platforms, balanced with respect and kindness towards all community members.

4. Expectations of all users

Australia has strict anti-discrimination laws. FRV acts in accordance with these at all times. We are committed to promoting an inclusive and respectful community and take a strong stance on content which we deem to be discriminatory.

We will delete any content that breaches our Terms of Use or legislation.

When interacting on our social media platforms, users are expected to demonstrate courtesy and respect to others.

By using FRV’s social media channels, you agree to:

• Post material relevant to FRV and the topics presented
• Protect your and others’ personal privacy
• Represent your own views and not impersonate or falsely represent another person
• Be respectful of others’ opinions

You agree not to:

• Post any personally identifiable information of yourself and others
• Collect the personal information of others
• Post links to non-government websites
• Post material that infringes on the copyright or intellectual property rights of others
• Promote personal or business interests or attempt to sell goods or services
• Post spam or unsolicited material
• Share political material or commentary (i.e: election campaign material)
• Share materials or comments that violate of Australian law

FRV does not tolerate, and reserves the right to remove, report or block users that:

• Abuse, harass, bully, “troll” or threaten others
• Use obscene or offensive language or imagery
• Incite hatred or vilification on the basis of any personal characteristics including (but not limited to) race, gender, marital or domestic status, sexuality, religious beliefs, physical or mental disability or age.

Or material/content that:

• Contains discrimination
• Is defamatory or potentially defamatory
• Is false, fraudulent, deceptive or misleading
• Relates to illegal activity

FRV takes all reasonable steps to enforce these Terms of Use.

If you wish to report any material that breaches these guidelines, please contact socialmedia@frv.vic.gov.au

5. Disclaimer

Content posted on our page by third parties does not reflect the views of FRV or the Victorian Government.

Third party content is the responsibility of the users who post it and users are reminded that FRV’s social media accounts are publicly accessible. Third party sites or content linked on FRV’s social media accounts is not controlled, maintained or endorsed by FRV.

FRV does not guarantee the accuracy or reliability of user-generated content on any of its platforms.

From time to time FRV may decide to share, republish or reference social media content from other users, or follow or ‘like’ organisations. Please note that this does not constitute endorsement.

Users contributing to FRV’s social media pages take full responsibility for ensuring that intellectual property rights are not infringed.

6. Contacts

For social media enquiries, please contact FRV’s Media and Communications team at socialmedia@frv.vic.gov.au

For all other enquiries, visit the contact us section of FRV’s website.

Our vision at FRV is to be a modern, professional and inclusive fire and rescue service.

Our inaugural Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Strategy 2025-32 (DEI Strategy) outlines the actions we will take to build a psychologically safe, inclusive and respectful workplace.

Centred on the foundations of leadership, culture, people and community, our DEI Strategy will empower us to be an organisation that truly reflects the diversity of the communities we serve and provides exemplary fire and rescue services that meet their changing needs.