Far Northern Region Northern Region Central Region South Western Region

Brisbane Region South Eastern Region North Coast Region

Rural Operations is an arm of the Queensland Fire and Rescue Service (QFRS)and has a State central office and seven regional offices.  Rural Operations is responsible for the provision of a management framework to support the Rural Fire Service.  It is made up of 1,550 Rural Fire Brigades supported by 41,000 volunteers as well as a fire warden network of 2,445 - the key to hazard reduction and preventative fire management in Queensland.

In some areas of the State, the brigades are structured into groups, which facilitate a link into local government agencies for QFRS Rural Operations.

The Regional Offices are located in Brisbane, Beenleigh, Toowoomba, Maryborough, Rockhampton, Townsville and Cairns.  The Regional Manager in each location is responsible for ensuring Rural Operations are co-ordinated and managed within the Region.

Support services provided to volunteers and staff from central office, located at the Emergency Services Complex at Kedron in Brisbane, include:

• volunteer Support;
• risk Management and Geographic Information Systems;
• training;
• community Awareness and education;
• equipment provision;
• executive and Business Services.

Rural Operations aims to:

• emphasise holistic rural fire management rather than relying entirely on suppression orientated strategies
• develop and resource appropriate volunteer brigades as the community support in rural fire management
• provide a framework wherein fire can be legitimately used as an integrated part of rural land management and rural production systems and as a hazard reduction tool in order to minimise negative impacts on the community
• recognise that fire is an integral and inevitable part of most Australian eco-systems and is essential in shaping and maintaining large areas of landscape, which support many plant and animal communities.

Our strength is our diversity.  The RFS is made up of a diverse group of landholders and volunteers who provide a service to the community to protect the things they value.  Our volunteers come from all walks of life including medicine, law, teaching, government departments and farming.  These Rural Fire Brigade volunteers play a vital role in supporting Queensland communities in active firefighting, fire prevention and also in the support functions they provide to their members.