Keeping communities safer from bushfires takes a team of permanent, full-time firefighters and seasonal firefighters each fire season. This team comprises more than 1,000 skilled staff from the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA), Parks Victoria and Melbourne Water.

They are supported by 2,000 staff from across the sector who have a fire and emergency role in addition to their usual work.

FFMVic works with Country Fire Authority (CFA), Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV), other emergency services and communities across Victoria to deliver the best local approaches to managing bushfire risk in Victoria.

Our partners also include a network of over 460 independent contractors all across Victoria who supply a range of forest and civil contracting services and play a vital role in the state’s bushfire management and emergency response capacity. 400 of these businesses also make themselves available for deployment to respond to bushfire and emergency events.

In 2024, the Government committed $362 Million over five years to additional bushfire response and risk reduction resources as part of forestry industry transition brought about by the end of commercial harvesting of native timber in Victoria’s State forests. This investment will see the skills and experience of forest contractors used to accelerate a program of bushfire risk reduction works.

Our core purpose is to protect people, property and the environment.

We do this by managing bushfires and bushfire risk in Victoria’s parks, forests and other public land, and by minimising the impact of fire on our communities, environment and everything we value most. This management includes:

  • risk-based bushfire management and planning
  • fire prevention and preparedness
  • fuel management programs (including planned burning
  • emergency response and recovery.

We also preserve and upgrade our parks and state forests across Victoria to provide more accessible  opportunities to get outdoors and enjoy nature.

FFMVic community objectives

  • Providing an integrated approach to land management to reduce bushfire risk in Victoria
  • Minimising the impact of major bushfires on human life, communities, infrastructure, industries, the economy and the environment
  • Delivering a coordinated community and environmental recovery management when fires and other emergencies occur
  • Being a trusted source of information for Victorian communities, to build and maintain long-lasting, strong, collaborative and respectful relationships with the communities we serve.

Code of practice for bushfire management on public land (PDF, 715.9 KB)
Code of practice for bushfire management on public land (DOCX, 2.5 MB)
Variation instrument for the Code of Practice for the Code of Practice for Bushfire Management on Public Land 2012 (amended 2022) (PDF, 217 KB)

Existing Agreements

DEECA and Fire Rescue Victoria have formally signed an agreement for fire prevention and suppression activities. The agreement allows personnel from DEECA, Parks Victoria, Melbourne Water, and VicForests to carry out certain fire suppression activities in the FRV Fire District, when they operate as part of FFMVic, and in the circumstances which are set out in the agreement. Read full agreement here (PDF, 7.3 MB)

Forest firefighters' presumptive rights compensation scheme

FFMVic firefighters who are diagnosed with certain types of cancers may be able to access compensation through the Forest Firefighters Presumptive Rights Compensation Scheme (the scheme).

The scheme applies to staff with firefighting roles from a range of Victorian Government agencies, including staff from DEECA, Parks Victoria, Melbourne Water, VicForests, DJPR, and their predecessor organisations.

FFMVic firefighters are eligible to access the scheme if they:

  • were diagnosed as having a specified cancer on or after 1 June 2016; and
  • are a current forest firefighter or have been a forest firefighter within the last 10 years; and
  • have served the required period (between 5-25 years, depending on the cancer) or can demonstrate attendance at an exceptional exposure event; and
  • attended fires to the extent reasonably necessary to fulfil the purpose of their service as a firefighter.

All claims will be assessed by WorkSafe with support from the Forests (Forest Firefighters Presumptive Rights Compensation) Advisory Committee, which is made up of individuals with expertise and experience in forest firefighting, scientific research on the relationship between firefighters; occupational exposure and cancers, or Australian law or public administration.

The Advisory Committee provides advice on the eligibility of individual forest firefighters to receive the presumption. The committee also considers whether forest firefighters who do not meet the qualifying period requirement may be eligible for special consideration if they demonstrate attendance at an exceptional exposure event.

To find out more, visit https://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/forest-firefighters-presumptive-rights-compensation or call the DEECA Customer Service Centre on 1800 957 219.

Page last updated: 26/07/24