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Ministerial Advisory Councils

Emergency Services Advisory Council (ESAC)

The Emergency Services Advisory Council is a non-policy making, community based body that reports to the Minister for Emergency Services on the extent to which the delivery of fire, ambulance and other disaster management and emergency services meets community needs. The Council meets on a quarterly basis and operates under a Terms of Reference.

ESAC includes community representatives with a wide variety of complementary expertise and experience of relevance to emergency services. It therefore provides a dynamic client feedback forum, allowing for greater community input into the delivery of emergency services.

After its formation in 1999, the then Minister directed the Council to consider smoke alarm penetration in Queensland and strategies to improve the percentage of operational smoke alarms within Queensland residences. The Council prepared a comprehensive research paper on this topic making recommendations for the Minister to consider. As a result of ESAC recommendations, the portfolio has introduced a smoke alarms awareness kit (including a CD ROM).

ESAC has also considered a number of other issues including disposal of smoke alarms, introduction of fire retardant furniture and protective coatings in order to achieve fire resistant furniture, delivery of services to ethnic communities and support provided to volunteers.

Rural Fire Advisory Council

The Rural Fire Advisory Council (RFAC) represents the interests of communities affected by rural fires. Members of the Council are appointed by the Governor in Council on the nomination of the Minister. The functions of the Council are to:

The chair of the Council is Gold Coast-based member Eda Beck who is also the chair of the Minister’s Emergency Services Advisory Council. Other members include several long-serving rural fire volunteers and current and former rural fire staff, and representatives from bodies with a close working relationship with rural firefighters.

Throughout Queensland there are some 44,000 rural firefighters who provide an invaluable network of support to their local communities. The new council will work with these volunteers to provide input into the direction of relevant issues into the future.

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