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Emergency Services in Victoria

State Government agencies, private enterprise and voluntary groups within Victoria manage and deal with emergencies varying in scope, severity and size. Depending on the type of emergency, and how the emergency progresses, each government agency will have defined roles and responsibilities, either as a control agency or as a support agency.

 

About the Emergency Services Sector Records and Information Management (ESSRIM) Group

The ESSRIM Group has been formed so that Victorian Emergency Services agencies can share information and experiences, benchmark, discuss Information Management challenges and identify collaborative opportunities. ESSRIM has been operating as a Chapter of Records and Information Management Professionals Australasia (RIM Professionals Australasia) since 2013. Some of ESSRIM’s recent collaborative work includes developing a Retention and Disposal Authority for Emergency Services records and a review of secondary storage requirements.

ESSRIM meets quarterly, with membership of information management specialists drawn from Ambulance Victoria, Country Fire Authority, Department of Energy, Environment, and Climate Action, Department of Justice and Community Safety, Emergency Management Victoria, Fire Rescue Victoria, Triple Zero Victoria, Victoria Police, Victoria State Emergency Services, Parks Victoria and Public Record Office Victoria representatives. Anyone interested in joining ESSRIM should apply through the State Government Innovation Network portal.

 

Recordkeeping responsibilities in the Emergency Services sector

Victorian Government agencies engaged in emergency services are subject to the Public Records Act 1973 and the Public Record Office Victoria Recordkeeping Standards.

 

PROV Recordkeeping Standards

For every recordkeeping function, PROV has set mandatory recordkeeping principles - these are contained in the Standards. All agencies must comply with each principle by implementing certain requirements. These requirements are detailed in the Specification/s.

A series of guidelines, factsheets and forms have been developed to help agencies to implement the requirements.

 

PROS 17/02 Emergency Services Function RDA

The functions of the following retention and disposal authorities have been streamlined and incorporated into PROS 17/02 Emergency Services Function RDA.

PROV recommends usage of PROS 17/02 however the following may be used to authorise records disposal until expiry.

The RDAs streamlined into PROS 17/02 are:

  • PROS 10/08 Ambulance Services Functions RDA (expired)
  • PROS 10/11 Country Fire Authority RDA (expired)
  • PROS 13/02 Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority
  • PROS 10/14 Victoria Police RDA (emergency services communications and incident and emergency response)

 

 

Material in the Public Record Office Victoria archival collection contains words and descriptions that reflect attitudes and government policies at different times which may be insensitive and upsetting

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples should be aware the collection and website may contain images, voices and names of deceased persons.

PROV provides advice to researchers wishing to access, publish or re-use records about Aboriginal Peoples

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