Victoria State Emergency Service (VICSES) is a volunteer-based organisation, providing emergency assistance to minimise the impact of emergencies and strengthen the community’s capacity to plan, respond and recover, when emergencies occur.
We operate under the Victoria State Emergency Act (2005) and the coordinating agency for emergency management, Emergency Management Victoria (EMV).
As a Statutory Authority, VICSES is governed by a Board, which is accountable to the Minister for Emergency Services. Operating since 1950, VICSES covers all of Victoria, via 149 Units across six Regions, in addition to Head Office located at Southbank, Melbourne.
We are the control agency for flood, storm, tsunami, earthquake and landslide throughout Victoria, and provide the largest road rescue network in Australia, with specialist teams in 102 of our 149 units across the state.
VICSES is a significant contributor and leader in emergency management. We strive to develop and lead best practice by focusing on further developing our core business activities and strengthening our relationships and partnerships in developing a resilient Victorian community that knows what to do before, during, and after an emergency.
Our Mission
Partner with communities, government, other agencies and business to provide timely and effective emergency management services, building community preparedness, disaster resilience and contributing to risk prevention.
Our Vision
Safer communities – together.Our People
Our volunteers are the backbone of VICSES, serving the Victorian community 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year for more than 40 years. 95% of our people are volunteers.
Our people – volunteer and staff– are highly skilled, well equipped, and trained comprehensively in a wide range of emergency environments. Today, we comprise more than 5,000 volunteers and 200 employees, all crucial to the success of VICSES and our vision to make the community safer, together.
We actively embrace volunteerism, with a focus on the volunteer experience that better meets their family and work needs. We strive to be an organisation of choice for people and partners.
Diversity is key to our success and VICSES is proud to celebrate an inclusive and supportive culture across the entire organisation. We're extremely proud of our diverse workforce; 32% of VICSES volunteers are female, 70% of which are in our Unit leadership teams. In metropolitan and regional locations across the State, Our people reflect the diversity of their communities.
Our Commitment
VICSES pledges to adopt contemporary approaches to our service delivery and to strengthen the capability of our people and the Victorian community, along with the services, systems and structures that support them.
We commit to collaborating with our community and partners in providing local services to meet local needs; to developing resilient communities through the development of strong connections, community partnerships and agile operating models – helping to keep all Victorians safe before, during and after, and reduce the consequences of, emergencies.
We stand by reviewing our progress annually to realise opportunities, inform decisions and positively influence the focus and direction of what we have committed to, and in achieving better visibility of our performance.