Tasmania Fire Service (TFS)

Fire services in Tasmania have been delivered through various predecessors of the Tasmania Fire Service (TFS) since 1827, evolving from volunteer brigades in Hobart Town to formal brigades under the Fire Brigade Act 1883 and a permanent workforce in 1910. These services were unified under the Fire Service Act 1979, with the establishment of TFS as the operational arm of the State Fire Commission.

Today, TFS provides statewide fire prevention, preparedness and emergency response, supporting urban, regional and rural communities. Our work spans community education, structural firefighting, bushfire response, road crash rescue and a range of other emergency incidents. As a core part of Tasmania’s emergency management system, TFS also contributes specialist capability, intelligence and recovery support to partner agencies.

To ensure we continue to meet the needs of the Tasmanian community now and into the future, a more contemporary emergency services model is being considered by the state which will bring TFS and the State Emergency Service (SES) together as the Tasmania Fire and Emergency Service (TFES). This new entity aims to deliver a modern, professional organisation focused on protecting life, property and the environment, while strengthening community resilience to fire, flood, storm and other emergencies.

For more information, visit the TFS website.