Safety Officer

Scope

The Safety Officer is responsible for the overall functions of Health and Safety for all personnel involved in the incident, on behalf of the Incident Controller (IC).

Fundamental Protocols underpin the actions of all NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) members and must be adhered to at all times. They outline the Principles of being an RFS member and provide guidance on conduct to support the safety and wellbeing of members.

Key Accountabilities

• Provide advice to the IC on issues related to safety, health and wellbeing at an incident.  
  • The IC must consider the recommendations of the Safety Officer. Issues and decisions made must be documented.
• Identify safety issues, or potential problems affecting one or more aspects of the incident.
• Prepare safety information for consideration by the Incident Management Team (IMT) in the development of the Incident Action Plan (IAP).
• Oversee the safety, health and wellbeing of all personnel involved in an incident.
• Monitor and follow up on all reported safety incidents and near misses.
• Provide advice in relation to the rotation, refreshment, fatigue management and rehabilitation of personnel.
• Ensure that IMT and field personnel are briefed on specific safety related information relevant to the operational period.

Special Considerations

• The Safety Officer reports directly to the IC.
• At a single agency (Level 1) incident or prescribed burn, the Safety Officer function may be retained as part of the role of the IC and must be carried out as an integral function.
  • The Safety Officer role can be delegated as a responsibility to other functional heads with the exception of Operations.
• The Safety Officer is responsible for, and should provide guidance to, any appointed Safety Advisor Field (SAF) personnel.
• A dedicated Safety Officer should be appointed in the following circumstances:
  • A fire classified as a Class 2 or a Class 3 (Section 44).
  • A fire that has the potential to escalate to a Class 2 or a Class 3 (Section 44).
  • Where the number of personnel or resources allocated to the incident is such that the incident ground needs to be sectorised.
    • Note: Following the initial suppression efforts, the IC may elect to withdraw the need for a Safety Officer if they determine the separation of the function is no longer warranted.
  • Where weather conditions are conducive to erratic fire behaviour.
• Notwithstanding the above criteria, an IC may appoint a Safety Officer during any operation if they believe it is appropriate given the prevailing situation.
• The Safety Officer should have the Incident Control competency equivalent to the AIIMS incident level being applied or agency specific training in Safety Officer (Level 3).

Related Information

• RFS OPG - Incident Ground Health, Safety and Welfare
• RFS Safety Hub