Sector's Strategic Directions

South Australian Fire and Emergency Services Sector

September 18 2008 heralded a significant milestone for the fire and emergency services sector with the release of the sector's Statement of Strategic Direction for 2008-2014.

The Strategic Direction is a shared vision agreed to by the Commissioner of Fire and Emergencies, the Chief Officers of the Country Fire Service, the Metropolitan Fire Service and the State Emergency Service, representatives of the volunteer associations and government and business leaders, all of whom make up the SAFECOM Board, and charts the way forward for the sector over the next six years. 

The Strategic Direction represents a consolidated set of priorities for the emergency services sector, and provides a clear consensus on the direction for the sector which is to:

 Lead and strengthen communities so the things they value are better protected.

 In giving this common goal a real focus, the Strategic Direction sets out six priorities:

• Community Engagement - We will empower and support communities to actively protect the things they value. 

• Community Resilience - We will empower and support communities to rapidly and effectively recover from the effects of emergencies.
   
• Building Partnerships - We will actively work to form partnerships and alliances that will make our job easier and benefit all South Australian communities.
   
• Being Accountable - All of our decision making will be based on evidence, and we will ensure our monitoring and reporting systems are consistent, effective and comparable.
   
• Seamless Integration - We will minimise the harm caused by emergencies by providing a professional and integrated emergency service to all the people and communities of South Australia.
   
• Communication - We will be open and transparent in all areas of activity, and we will actively work to improve our communication systems both internally and externally.

The Statement of Strategic Direction not only provides a clear direction for those of us in the sector, but it also provides a strong statement to other agencies, stakeholders and the community that the fire and emergency services sector, lead by members of its Board, have articulated and agreed on a consolidated set of priorities and are moving forward together to achieve their goals. 

All eight members of the Board have signed the Statement of Strategic Direction, not only to acknowledge their role in creating the document, but more importantly as a testament of their commitment to the intent of the Strategic Direction and to lead by example in modelling its values.

 The Minister for Emergency Services, the Hon. Michael Wright MP, is also a signatory to the document highlighting the Government's endorsement of the sector's direction.

 The spirit of the Statement of Strategic Direction can already be seen in a number of the sector's current projects such as the coordination of training and development across the sector, the remote indigenous communities' implementation project, the website improvement program and the sector's adoption of risk and resource modelling.