Emergencies

The Department of Justice and Community Safety supports the portfolios of Police and Emergency Services and has a range of responsibilities relating to the planning, management and delivery of Victoria's emergency services.

The State Emergency Management Plan (SEMP) (External link) provides arrangements for an integrated, coordinated and comprehensive approach to emergency management at the state level. The Emergency Management Act 2013 (External link) requires the SEMP to contain provisions for the mitigation of, response to and recovery from emergencies (before, during and after), and to specify the roles and responsibilities of agencies in relation to emergency management.

Emergency Management Victoria (EMV) leads emergency management in Victoria and the Chief Executive is responsible for the day-to-day management of EMV. The Emergency Management Commissioner is responsible for strengthening the capacity of communities and the sector to improve the way Victoria plans for, responds to and recovers from emergencies.

The Inspector-General for Emergency Management (IGEM) (External link) primary role is providing assurance to the government and the community on emergency management arrangements, and fostering their continuous improvement. This is done through objective reviews, evaluations and assessments of Victoria’s emergency management arrangements and the sector’s performance, capacity and capability.

The State Crisis and Resilience Council was established by Emergency Management Act 2013 (External link). It is responsible for providing emergency management policy and strategy advice to the Victorian Government. It developed the Emergency Management Strategic Action Plan (External link) to drive the state's emergency management reform, set priorities and assist in investment decisions. 

The department's statutory authorities and emergency services agencies provide on-the-ground emergency response services to the Victorian community. These include:

• Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV)
• Country Fire Authority (CFA)
• Victoria State Emergency Service (VICSES)
• Triple Zero Victoria 
• Emergency Recovery Victoria (ERV).

These statutory authorities often work with and rely on a significant volunteer workforce. 

Funding and support is also provided to organisations such as Life Saving Victoria and the Volunteer Coast Guard.