{"id":"sr:fire-rescue-victoria-general-regulations-2020","name":"Fire Rescue Victoria (General) Regulations 2020","slug":"fire-rescue-victoria-general-regulations-2020","collection":"regulation","jurisdiction":"vic","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":181366,"registerId":"vic-sr:fire-rescue-victoria-general-regulations-2020-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-05","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Fire Rescue Victoria (General) Regulations 2020","content":"Version No. 001\n\n**Fire Rescue Victoria (General) Regulations 2020**\n\n**S.R. No. 68/2020**\n\nVersion as at  \n1 July 2020\n\n**TABLE OF PROVISIONS**\n\n*Regulation Page*\n\nPart 1—Preliminary 1\n\n1 Objectives 1\n\n2 Authorising provision 1\n\n3 Commencement 1\n\n4 Revocation 1\n\n5 Definitions 2\n\nPart 2—Fire Rescue Victoria 3\n\n6 Insignia of Fire Rescue Victoria 3\n\n7 Service for the purpose of long service leave 3\n\nPart 3—Management of employees of Fire Rescue Victoria 5\n\nDivision 1—Appointment 5\n\n8 Appointments by Fire Rescue Victoria 5\n\nDivision 2—Fitness for duty 5\n\n9 Fitness for duty 5\n\nDivision 3—Promotion 5\n\n10 Promotion 5\n\nDivision 4—Discipline 6\n\n11 General orders 6\n\n12 Prohibitions on members 7\n\n13 Charges for offences 8\n\nDivision 5—Fire Rescue Victoria Appeals Commission 8\n\n14 Time for notice of appeals 8\n\n15 Process for appeals 8\n\n16 Register to be kept 9\n\nPart 4—Fees and charges for Fire Rescue Victoria services 11\n\n17 Emergency attendances 11\n\n18 Additional costs of hazardous material incidents and toxic fire incidents 12\n\n19 Property protection or loss mitigation services 13\n\n20 Road accident rescue services 13\n\n21 Fire protection charges 15\n\nPart 5—Fire prevention 16\n\n22 Fire prevention notices 16\n\nPart 6—Alarm monitoring information 17\n\n23 Information in the case of an alarm pre‑connection 17\n\n24 Information in the case of alarm connection 18\n\n25 Information in the case of an alarm modification 19\n\n26 Information in the case of an alarm disconnection 20\n\n27 Information in the case of failure of alarm monitoring system 22\n\n28 Isolation and testing data 22\n\n29 Information for verification purposes 23\n\nSchedule 1—Insignia of Fire Rescue Victoria 24\n\nSchedule 2—Fees and charges for Fire Rescue Victoria services 25\n\nSchedule 3—Fire prevention notice 26\n\nSchedule 4—Notice to owners or occupiers of land 27\n\n═════════════\n\nEndnotes 28\n\n1 General information 28\n\n2 Table of Amendments 30\n\n3 Amendments Not in Operation 31\n\n4 Explanatory details 32\n\n**Version No.** **001**\n\n**Fire Rescue Victoria (General) Regulations 2020**\n\n**S.R. No. 68/2020**\n\nVersion as at  \n1 July 2020\n\nPart 1—Preliminary\n\n\t1 Objectives\n\nThe objectives of these Regulations are to provide for—\n\n(a) the management of employees of Fire Rescue Victoria; and\n\n(b) the operation and administration of the Fire Rescue Victoria Appeals Commission; and\n\n(c) fees and charges levied by Fire Rescue Victoria; and\n\n(d) other matters authorised by the **Fire Rescue Victoria Act 1958** to be prescribed by regulation.\n\n\t2 Authorising provision\n\nThese Regulations are made under section 34 of the **Fire Rescue Victoria Act 1958**.\n\n\t3 Commencement\n\nThese Regulations come into operation on 1 July 2020.\n\n\t4 Revocation\n\nThe Metropolitan Fire Brigades (General) Interim Regulations 2019[[1]](#endnote-1) are **revoked**.\n\n\t5 Definitions\n\nIn these Regulations—\n\n***appellant*** means a member of operational staff who appeals against a decision of Fire Rescue Victoria under section 79H of the Act;\n\n***appliance*** means any fire fighting or emergency response vehicle that is used by members of operational staff;\n\n***Commission*** means the Fire Rescue Victoria Appeals Commission established under section 79 of the Act;\n\n***failure by an alarm monitoring system*** means a fault or failure of an alarm monitoring service to automatically transmit a signal of an alarm of fire, or have that signal of an alarm of fire transmitted from an alarm monitoring service accepted by the Computer Aided Dispatch of Fire Rescue Victoria;\n\n***general order*** means a general order issued under regulation 11;\n\n***Persistent Feature Identifier (PFI)***  means a government-issued unique number provided at the creation of a feature or site that is retained until the feature or site is retired;\n\n***Registrar*** means a Registrar appointed by the Commission;\n\n***tested end-to-end*** means ensuring that signal integrity is maintained between the system components and systems in an alarm system;\n\n***the Act*** means the **Fire Rescue Victoria Act 1958**.\n\nPart 2—Fire Rescue Victoria\n\n\t6 Insignia of Fire Rescue Victoria\n\n(1) The insignia set out in Schedule 1 is the insignia for the purposes of section 75A(4) of the Act.\n\n(2) The insignia may be used—\n\n(a) on clothing worn by the Fire Rescue Commissioner, operational staff or any other person acting in the lawful execution of a power conferred by the Act or these Regulations; or\n\n(b) on any other property whatever used for the purposes of the Act or these Regulations.\n\n\t7 Service for the purpose of long service leave\n\n(1) For the purposes of paragraph (b) of the definition of ***service*** in section 80(1) of the Act—\n\n(a) a prescribed office is any office in the public sector within the meaning of the **Public Administration Act 2004**; and\n\n(b) the prescribed extent of service is the extent to which that service—\n\n(i) is continuous with service as an officer or employee of Fire Rescue Victoria; and\n\n(ii) is service in respect of which long service leave or pay in lieu of the service has not been granted.\n\n(2) For the purposes of subregulation (1)(b)—\n\n(a) service in any office or employment prescribed in subregulation (1)(a) is taken to be continuous with service as an officer or employee of Fire Rescue Victoria if service as an officer or employee of Fire Rescue Victoria commences not more than 4 weeks (or any longer period Fire Rescue Victoria having regard to any special circumstances relating to any officer or employee may determine) from termination of the service prescribed in subregulation (1)(a); and\n\n(b) the relevant extent of any service includes any period of war service in the armed forces of the Commonwealth of Australia that ended not more than 12 months before commencement of any other service or employment which under this regulation entitles the officer or employee to long service leave.\n\nPart 3—Management of employees of Fire Rescue Victoria\n\nDivision 1—Appointment\n\n\t8 Appointments by Fire Rescue Victoria\n\n(1) An applicant for appointment by Fire Rescue Victoria must provide Fire Rescue Victoria with any necessary authority for Fire Rescue Victoria to conduct a criminal record search and any other enquiries about the applicant that are relevant to the applicant's suitability for appointment.\n\n(2) An applicant for appointment as an employee of Fire Rescue Victoria must satisfy a medical officer approved by Fire Rescue Victoria of the applicant's fitness for service in the role for which the application is made.\n\nDivision 2—Fitness for duty\n\n\t9 Fitness for duty\n\nMembers of operational staff must on the request of any senior member of operational staff satisfy a medical officer approved by Fire Rescue Victoria that they are fit to discharge their duties.\n\nDivision 3—Promotion\n\n\t10 Promotion\n\n(1) Fire Rescue Victoria may promote members of operational staff.\n\n(2) A promotion by Fire Rescue Victoria under subregulation (1) must be made on the basis of merit as defined in section 79P(3) of the Act.\n\n(3) An applicant for promotion must satisfy a medical officer approved by Fire Rescue Victoria of the applicant's fitness for service in the role for which application for promotion has been made.\n\n(4) The Fire Rescue Commissioner must give not less than one month's notice of the intention to accept applications for promotion to all positions other than senior positions.\n\n(5) Every promotion of a member of operational staff must be notified as soon as practicable to operational staff.\n\n(6) A promotion made by Fire Rescue Victoria that is subject to the jurisdiction of the Commission becomes effective—\n\n(a) if a member of the operational staff appeals to the Commission under section 79H(c) of the Act in relation to a promotion, only after the appeal has been heard and determined; or\n\n(b) in all other cases, when the time for appealing expires.\n\nDivision 4—Discipline\n\n\t11 General orders\n\n(1) The Fire Rescue Commissioner may issue to operational staff any general orders the Fire Rescue Commissioner considers to be desirable.\n\n(2) A member of operational staff must comply with a general order applying to that staff member.\n\n(3) Fire Rescue Victoria must keep a current General Order Book containing a signed copy of each general order issued under subregulation (1).\n\n(4) A copy of the General Order Book must be kept and be accessible including by means of electronic communication at each place at which members of operational staff are based.\n\n\t12 Prohibitions on members\n\nA member of operational staff must not—\n\n(a) disobey or fail to carry out a general order or any lawful order given in the course of their duty whether the order is in writing or not; or\n\n(b) exceed or misuse the member's authority; or\n\n(c) wilfully cause or allow loss, damage or injury to occur to any person or property; or\n\n(d) when on duty, partake in or be under the influence of or affected by any intoxicating liquor, narcotic, hallucinogen, medication or substance that could or is likely to impair, limit or affect the member's performance of duty; or\n\n(e) when on duty have any of the substances referred to in paragraph (d) in their possession or at the workplace; or\n\n(f) act in a manner that is likely to bring discredit to the reputation of Fire Rescue Victoria or diminish public confidence in it; or\n\n(g) be found guilty of having committed an indictable offence when on duty; or\n\n(h) be found guilty of having committed an indictable offence under Division 2 of Part I of the **Crimes Act 1958** when not on duty if the offence involved dishonesty, corruption, intent to deceive or defraud or trespass.\n\n\t13 Charges for offences\n\n(1) If a member of operational staff is charged with an offence under section 78A of the Act, the Fire Rescue Commissioner must ensure that the member is given 7 days' written notice of the particulars of the charge and the time and place of the hearing of that charge under section 78C of the Act.\n\n(2) The Fire Rescue Commissioner must cause a member of operational staff charged with an offence under section 78A of the Act to be given notice in writing of the decision made at the hearing of the charge.\n\n(3) A notice under this regulation may be given personally or may be served by post on the member at the member's last known place of residence.\n\nDivision 5—Fire Rescue Victoria Appeals Commission\n\n\t14 Time for notice of appeals\n\n(1) An appellant must give notice of an appeal under section 79H of the Act in writing not later than 14 days after the appellant is notified of the matter appealed against.\n\n(2) The Commission may, on the application in writing of a member of operational staff, extend the time for making an appeal if the Registrar has not received notice of an appeal in compliance with subregulation (1).\n\n\t15 Process for appeals\n\n(1) A notice of appeal given under regulation 14(1) must—\n\n(a) clearly state the grounds of the appeal; and\n\n(b) give full particulars of every ground on which the appellant relies; and\n\n(c) provide an address for service for the appellant.\n\n(2) Copies of—\n\n(a) correspondence or other documents (if any); and\n\n(b) statements of fact—\n\nrelating to the subject matter of the appeal must be attached to the notice of appeal.\n\n(3) The Registrar must forward to Fire Rescue Victoria a copy of the notice of appeal and copies of any documents or statements attached to the notice.\n\n(4) The Registrar must refer the appeal to the Commission.\n\n(5) The Senior Commissioner must advise the Registrar of the time and place of the hearing of the appeal.\n\n(6) The Registrar must give Fire Rescue Victoria and the appellant not less than 14 days' notice of the time and place of the hearing of the appeal. (7) Notice to the appellant under subregulation (6) may be served by post on the appellant at the appellant's last known place of residence or at the address for service specified in the appellant's notice of appeal.\n\n\t16 Register to be kept\n\n(1) The Commission must keep a Register in which the particulars of each appeal and the Commission's determination are kept.\n\n(2) Every entry in the Register must be signed by the Senior Commissioner or the Commissioner who heard the appeal.\n\n(3) If the Commission determines an appeal it must cause a document recording its determination and signed by the Senior Commissioner or the Commissioner who heard the appeal to be delivered to Fire Rescue Victoria and to the appellant.\n\nPart 4—Fees and charges for Fire Rescue Victoria services\n\n\t17 Emergency attendances\n\n(1) The following persons are liable to pay to Fire Rescue Victoria fees and charges—\n\n(a) the owner, occupier or owners corporation of premises on which is installed—\n\n(i) an automatic fire alarm system; or\n\n(ii) equipment designed to detect a fire or other emergency conditions and transmit a signal of that detection—\n\nfor the attendance of a unit in response to a false alarm of fire given by or originating from that system or equipment if Fire Rescue Victoria is not satisfied that there was a reasonable excuse for the occurrence of a false alarm;\n\n(b) if ordered to do so by a court, a person who has been convicted of giving or causing to be given a false report of fire under section 33 of the Act for the attendance of a unit in response to the false report;\n\n(c) the owner or master of a vessel for the attendance of a unit in response to a fire on the vessel;\n\n(d) in respect of an attendance of a unit in response to a hazardous material incident or toxic fire incident—\n\n(i) the owner or occupier of premises at which the incident occurred; or\n\n(ii) if the incident occurred on a street, road or highway (however described), the owner or driver of the vehicle transporting the materials involved in the incident;\n\n(e) in respect of an attendance of a unit in special circumstances requiring the protection of life or property in case of fire, the person requiring the attendance or owner or occupier, as the case may be.\n\n(2) The fees and charges to be paid to Fire Rescue Victoria are set out in item 1 of Schedule 2 and are payable for each appliance in attendance for each 15 minutes (or part of 15 minutes) during which the appliance is absent from its station.\n\n\t18 Additional costs of hazardous material incidents and toxic fire incidents\n\n(1) A person who is liable to pay a fee under regulation 17(1)(d) for the attendance of a unit in response to a hazardous material incident or toxic fire incident is, in addition to the fee required under that regulation, liable to pay to Fire Rescue Victoria any additional costs incurred by Fire Rescue Victoria calculated in accordance with subregulation (2).\n\n(2) Additional costs of attending a hazardous material incident or toxic fire incident are the costs incurred by Fire Rescue Victoria in attending or dealing with the effects of attending the incident and include the following—\n\n(a) the cost of obtaining advice as to the chemical analysis and environmental impact of materials involved in the incident or its containment;\n\n(b) the cost of testing, cleaning, maintaining, repairing or replacing any equipment, including personal protective equipment;\n\n(c) the cost of products purchased for, or consumed in, neutralising the hazard involved in the incident;\n\n(d) the cost of hiring equipment and vehicles to deal with the hazard involved in the incident;\n\n(e) the cost of removal and disposal of materials;\n\n(f) the cost of medical and other expenses for testing and treating any persons injured, or at risk of injury, in attending the incident;\n\n(g) the cost of transporting any person to deal with the hazard involved in the incident;\n\n(h) the cost of any accommodation and meals for any persons attending the incident;\n\n(i) any other costs incurred by Fire Rescue Victoria in attending the incident or dealing with the effects of the incident.\n\n\t19 Property protection or loss mitigation services\n\nSubject to any direction of the Minister under section 8 of the Act, the charges set by Fire Rescue Victoria from time to time under section 55C of the Act may be such charges as Fire Rescue Victoria thinks fit.\n\n\t20 Road accident rescue services\n\n(1) In respect of road accident rescue services provided to people entitled to compensation under section 60(2)(a) of the **Transport Accident Act 1986**, Fire Rescue Victoria may charge the Transport Accident Commission the fees agreed with the Transport Accident Commission.\n\n(2) In respect of road accident rescue services provided to people entitled to compensation under section 99(1)(a) of the **Accident Compensation Act 1985** in relation to injuries sustained before 1 July 2014, Fire Rescue Victoria may charge the person or body responsible for payment of compensation under that section the fees agreed with that person or body.\n\n(3) In respect of road accident rescue services provided to people entitled to compensation under section 224(1)(a) of the **Workplace Injury Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2013** in relation to injuries sustained on or after 1 July 2014, Fire Rescue Victoria may charge the person or body responsible for payment of compensation under that section the fees agreed with that person or body.\n\n(4) The fees agreed to under subregulations (1), (2) and (3) must take into account all relevant facts including—\n\n(a) the relevant portion of the purchase or replacement cost of vehicles, equipment and protective clothing used to provide the services and other items used for the services; and\n\n(b) the operating costs of providing the services, including maintenance costs and the cost of employing staff to operate the services; and\n\n(c) the organisational costs, including the cost of training people to provide the services, the co‑ordination of the services, the welfare of people providing the services and the corporate support costs incurred in providing the services and any other costs incurred in providing the services.\n\n\t21 Fire protection charges\n\n(1) Fire Rescue Victoria may, from time to time, fix fees and charges for any or all of the following services provided by Fire Rescue Victoria—\n\n(a) inspections in relation to applications under the **Building Act 1993**;\n\n(b) the provision of advice on fire prevention and suppression;\n\n(c) the testing and inspection of fire prevention and suppression equipment.\n\n(2) The person requesting a service referred to in subregulation (1) must pay the fee or charge fixed by Fire Rescue Victoria for the service under that subregulation.\n\nPart 5—Fire prevention\n\n\t22 Fire prevention notices\n\n(1) For the purposes of section 87(3) of the Act, a fire prevention notice must be in the form set out in Schedule 3.\n\n(2) For the purposes of section 88(3)(b) of the Act—\n\n(a) the notice to be published in the relevant newspaper must be in the form set out in Schedule 4; and\n\n(b) the prescribed particulars are—\n\n(i) the substance of the steps to be taken to remove or minimise the threat of fire that are contained in the fire prevention notice; and\n\n(ii) the date by which the owner or occupier must comply with the fire prevention notice; and\n\n(iii) the address of the property or properties the subject of the fire prevention notice; and\n\n(iv) the name and position of the person who is publishing the notice.\n\nPart 6—Alarm monitoring information\n\n\t23 Information in the case of an alarm pre‑connection\n\n(1) For the purposes of section 78(1) of the Act, the prescribed information in the case of an alarm pre‑connection is—\n\n(a) the name of the alarm monitoring service; and\n\n(b) details of the site to be monitored, including the name, street, nearest cross street, suburb, Persistent Feature Identifier and GPS co-ordinates; and\n\n(c) customer details, including entity name, postal address, email address, contact name and telephone number; and\n\n(d) alarm number; and\n\n(e) whether the alarm system has previously been connected to the Computer Aided Dispatch system by another alarm monitoring service.\n\n(2) For the purposes of section 78(1) of the Act, the prescribed period for providing the information in subregulation (1) is—\n\n(a) 5 working days prior to the connection of the alarm; or\n\n(b) if 5 working days prior to the connection of the alarm is not practicable because the request to connect the alarm is made less than 5 working days before the alarm is to be connected, as close to 5 working days prior to the connection of the alarm as is reasonably possible.\n\n\t24 Information in the case of alarm connection\n\n(1) For the purposes of section 78(1) of the Act, the prescribed information in the case of an alarm connection is—\n\n(a) the name of the alarm monitoring service; and\n\n(b) details of the site being monitored, including the name, street, nearest cross street, suburb, Persistent Feature Identifier and GPS co‑ordinates; and\n\n(c) customer details, including entity name, postal address, email address, contact name and telephone number; and\n\n(d) alarm details including the following (if available)—\n\n(i) alarm number;\n\n(ii) alarm signalling equipment address;\n\n(iii) alarm signalling equipment location;\n\n(iv) input device numbers;\n\n(v) input device alarm types;\n\n(vi) input device locations;\n\n(vii) whether the input device is an automatic alarm; and\n\n(e) date of connection; and\n\n(f) whether the alarm system has been tested end-to-end from the site being monitored to the Computer Aided Dispatch service provider to Fire Rescue Victoria in real time and found to be operating correctly; and\n\n(g) confirmation that the direct access location has been verified on the Computer Aided Dispatch map; and\n\n(h) whether the alarm system has previously been connected to the Computer Aided Dispatch system by another alarm monitoring service.\n\n(2) For the purposes of section 78(1) of the Act, the prescribed period for providing the information in subregulation (1) is within 24 hours of the connection of the alarm.\n\n\t25 Information in the case of an alarm modification\n\n(1) For the purposes of section 78(1) of the Act, the prescribed information in the case of a modification to any of the following details—\n\n(a) the name of the alarm monitoring service;\n\n(b) details of the site being monitored, including the name, street, nearest cross street, suburb, Persistent Feature Identifier and GPS co‑ordinates;\n\n(c) alarm details including the following (if available)—\n\n(i) alarm number;\n\n(ii) alarm signalling equipment address;\n\n(iii) alarm signalling equipment location;\n\n(iv) input device numbers;\n\n(v) input device alarm types;\n\n(vi) input device locations;\n\n(vii) whether it is an automatic alarm;\n\n(viii) the previous alarm number (if the alarm number has changed);\n\n(d) relevant fire station and key peg numbers (if provided by Fire Rescue Victoria);\n\n(e) customer details, including entity name, postal address, email address, contact name and telephone number—\n\nis the particulars of the modification, including the modified details.\n\n(2) For the purposes of section 78(1) of the Act, the prescribed period for providing the information in subregulation (1) is within 24 hours of the modification of the details.\n\n(3) For the purposes of section 78(1) of the Act, the prescribed information in the case of an alarm monitoring service that receives notice from Fire Rescue Victoria of any of the following information, or modification of that information, is notice of receipt of that information or modification—\n\n(a) fire station number;\n\n(b) key peg number;\n\n(c) alarm signalling equipment location;\n\n(d) input device location.\n\n(4) For the purposes of section 78(1) of the Act, the prescribed period for providing the information in subregulation (3) is within 24 hours of receiving the information from Fire Rescue Victoria.\n\n\t26 Information in the case of an alarm disconnection\n\n(1) For the purposes of section 78(1) of the Act, the prescribed information in the case of an alarm disconnection is—\n\n(a) the name of the alarm monitoring service; and\n\n(b) alarm details including the following (if available)—\n\n(i) alarm number;\n\n(ii) input device numbers;\n\n(iii) input device alarm types;\n\n(iv) input device locations;\n\n(v) whether it is an automatic alarm; and\n\n(c) whether the disconnection relates to all or part of the alarm system and, if appropriate, which part or parts are being disconnected; and\n\n(d) the date of disconnection; and\n\n(e) whether the disconnection is permanent or temporary; and\n\n(f) the building permit number (if applicable); and\n\n(g) the reason for the disconnection; and\n\n(h) details of the site being monitored, including the name, street, nearest cross street, suburb, Persistent Feature Identifier and GPS co‑ordinates; and\n\n(i) customer details, including entity name, postal address, email address, contact name and telephone number.\n\n(2) For the purposes of section 78(1) of the Act, in the case of an alarm being disconnected pursuant to a building permit issued under the **Building Act 1993**, the prescribed period for providing the information in subregulation (1) is within 24 hours of the disconnection of the alarm.\n\n(3) For the purposes of section 78(1) of the Act, in the case of an alarm being disconnected other than pursuant to a building permit issued under the **Building Act 1993**, the prescribed period for providing the information in subregulation (1) is 6 weeks prior to the disconnection of the alarm.\n\n\t27 Information in the case of failure of alarm monitoring system\n\n(1) For the purposes of section 78(1) of the Act, in the case of a failure by an alarm monitoring system to be able to automatically process and transmit an alarm of fire, the prescribed information is the alarm monitoring service, and the time and date of the failure.\n\n(2) For the purposes of section 78(1) of the Act, in the case of the reinstatement of a failed alarm monitoring system, the prescribed information is the time and date of the reinstatement.\n\n\t(3) For the purposes of section 78(1) of the Act, the prescribed period for providing the information in subregulation (1) is within 15 minutes of the failure of the alarm monitoring system.\n\n(4) For the purposes of section 78(1) of the Act, the prescribed period for providing the information in subregulation (2) is within 1 hour of the reinstatement of a failed alarm monitoring system.\n\n\t28 Isolation and testing data\n\n(1) For the purposes of section 78(1) of the Act, the prescribed information in the case of a review of the isolation and testing records of all alarms connected to an alarm monitoring service is the raw data generated by alarm signalling equipment connected to the alarm monitoring service regarding the isolation and testing of that equipment.\n\n(2) For the purposes of section 78(1) of the Act, the prescribed period for providing the information in subregulation (1) is within 5 working days of the review.\n\n\t29 Information for verification purposes\n\n(1) For the purposes of section 78(1) of the Act, the prescribed information in the case of the verification of all alarms connected to an alarm monitoring service is the raw data generated by alarm signalling equipment connected to the alarm monitoring service in relation to—\n\n(a) the name of the alarm monitoring service; and\n\n(b) details of the site being monitored, including the name, street, nearest cross street, suburb, Persistent Feature Identifier and GPS co‑ordinates; and\n\n(c) details of each alarm including the following (if available)—\n\n(i) alarm number;\n\n(ii) alarm signalling equipment address;\n\n(iii) alarm signalling equipment location;\n\n(iv) input device numbers;\n\n(v) input device alarm types;\n\n(vi) input device locations;\n\n(vii) whether the input device is an automatic alarm; and\n\n(d) the fire station and key peg numbers (if provided by Fire Rescue Victoria).\n\n(2) For the purposes of section 78(1) of the Act, the prescribed period for providing the information in subregulation (1) is within 24 hours of the verification.\n\nSchedule 1—Insignia of Fire Rescue Victoria\n\nRegulation 6\n\n![A picture containing clock, room\n\nDescription automatically generated]()\n\nSchedule 2—Fees and charges for Fire Rescue Victoria services\n\nRegulation 17\n\n| *Item No.* | *Reg. No.* | *Description* | *Amount* |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| 1 | 17 | Emergency attendances | 39·06 fee units for each appliance in attendance for each 15 minutes (or part of 15 minutes) during which the appliance is absent from its station. |\n\n\nSchedule 3—Fire prevention notice\n\nRegulation 22(1)\n\n**Fire Rescue Victoria Act 1958**\n\nFire Rescue Victoria (General) Regulations 2020\n\nFire Prevention Notice\n\nI direct of\n\nthe owner or occupier of [*insert address or certificate of title number*] to do the work specified below.\n\nAll work must be completed not later than:\n\nWork to be completed:\n\n[*Specify the part or parts of the land affected by this notice and the steps required to remove or minimise the threat of fire*].\n\nDate:\n\nSignature:\n\nName and position:\n\nSchedule 4—Notice to owners or occupiers of land\n\nRegulation 22(2)\n\n**Fire Rescue Victoria Act 1958**\n\nFire Rescue Victoria (General) Regulations 2020\n\nNotice to Owners or Occupiers of Land\n\nTo the owner/occupier or owners/occupiers of land described below.\n\nA notice to\n\n[*insert substance of steps to be taken to remove or minimise the threat of fire*]\n\nnot later than / / has been affixed on the following properties in accordance with section 88(3) of the **Fire Rescue Victoria Act 1958**.\n\nDate:\n\nName and position:\n\n═════════════\n\nEndnotes\n\n1 General information\n\nSee [www.legislation.vic.gov.au](http://www.legislation.vic.gov.au) for Victorian Bills, Acts and current Versions of legislation and up-to-date legislative information.\n\nThe Fire Rescue Victoria (General) Regulations 2020, S.R. No. 68/2020 were made on 30 June 2020 by the Governor in Council under section 34 of the **Fire Rescue Victoria Act 1958**, No. 6315/1958 and came into operation on 1 July 2020: regulation 3.\n\nThe Fire Rescue Victoria (General) Regulations 2020 will sunset 10 years after the day of making on 1 July 2030 (see section 5 of the **Subordinate Legislation Act 1994**).\n\nINTERPRETATION OF LEGISLATION ACT 1984 (ILA)\n\nStyle changes\n\nSection 54A of the ILA authorises the making of the style changes set out in Schedule 1 to that Act.\n\nReferences to ILA s. 39B\n\nSidenotes which cite ILA s. 39B refer to section 39B of the ILA which provides that where an undivided regulation, rule or clause of a Schedule is amended by the insertion of one or more subregulations, subrules or subclauses the original regulation, rule or clause becomes subregulation, subrule or subclause (1) and is amended by the insertion of the expression \"(1)\" at the beginning of the original regulation, rule or clause.\n\nInterpretation\n\nAs from 1 January 2001, amendments to section 36 of the ILA have the following effects:\n\n• Headings\n\nAll headings included in a Statutory Rule which is made on or after  \n1 January 2001 form part of that Statutory Rule. Any heading inserted in a Statutory Rule which was made before 1 January 2001, by a Statutory Rule made on or after 1 January 2001, forms part of that Statutory Rule.  \nThis includes headings to Parts, Divisions or Subdivisions in a Schedule; Orders; Parts into which an Order is divided; clauses; regulations; rules; items; tables; columns; examples; diagrams; notes or forms.  \nSee section 36(1A)(2A)(2B).\n\n• Examples, diagrams or notes\n\nAll examples, diagrams or notes included in a Statutory Rule which is made on or after 1 January 2001 form part of that Statutory Rule. Any examples, diagrams or notes inserted in a Statutory Rule which was made before 1 January 2001, by a Statutory Rule made on or after 1 January 2001, form part of that Statutory Rule. See section 36(3A).\n\n• Punctuation\n\nAll punctuation included in a Statutory Rule which is made on or after  \n1 January 2001 forms part of that Statutory Rule. Any punctuation inserted in a Statutory Rule which was made before 1 January 2001, by a Statutory Rule made on or after 1 January 2001, forms part of that Statutory Rule.  \nSee section 36(3B).\n\n• Provision numbers\n\nAll provision numbers included in a Statutory Rule form part of that Statutory Rule, whether inserted in the Statutory Rule before, on or after  \n1 January 2001. Provision numbers include regulation numbers, rule numbers, subregulation numbers, subrule numbers, paragraphs and subparagraphs. See section 36(3C).\n\n• Location of \"legislative items\"\n\nA \"legislative item\" is a penalty, an example or a note. As from 13 October 2004, a legislative item relating to a provision of a Statutory Rule is taken to be at the foot of that provision even if it is preceded or followed by another legislative item that relates to that provision. For example, if a penalty at the foot of a provision is followed by a note, both of these legislative items will be regarded as being at the foot of that provision. See section 36B.\n\n• Other material\n\nAny explanatory memorandum, table of provisions, endnotes, index and other material printed after the Endnotes does not form part of a Statutory Rule. See section 36(3)(3D)(3E).\n\n2 Table of Amendments\n\nThere are no amendments made to the Fire Rescue Victoria (General) Regulations 2020 by statutory rules, subordinate instruments and Acts.\n\n3 Amendments Not in Operation\n\nThis version does not contain amendments that are not yet in operation.\n\n4 Explanatory details\n\n1. Reg. 4: S.R. No. 92/2019.\n\n  ——\n\n  **Fee Units**\n\n  These Regulations provide for fees by reference to fee units within the meaning of the **Monetary Units Act 2004**.\n\n  The amount of the fee is to be calculated, in accordance with section 7 of that Act, by multiplying the number of fee units applicable by the value of a fee unit.\n\n  The value of a fee unit for the financial years commencing 1 July 2019 and 1 July 2020 is $14.81. The amount of the calculated fee may be rounded to the nearest 10 cents.\n\n  The value of a fee unit for future financial years is to be fixed by the Treasurer under section 5 of the **Monetary Units Act 2004**. The value of a fee unit for a financial year must be published in the Government Gazette and a Victorian newspaper before 1 June in the preceding financial year. [↑](#endnote-ref-1)","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":5,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The Regulations implement the objectives stated in regulation 1 (management of employees, operation of the Appeals Commission, fees/charges and related matters) and operate under the Act (reg 2). They revoke the earlier interim Metropolitan Fire Brigades (General) Interim Regulations 2019 (reg 4). There is no indication in the instrument that it expands scope beyond powers conferred by the Fire Rescue Victoria Act 1958; it instead prescribes procedures, fees and reporting requirements within that authorised scope."},"complexity_factors":["Multiple regulated actors and roles increase administrative scope: operational staff (appointments, promotions, discipline, appeals — regs 8–16), alarm monitoring services (data duties — regs 23–29), and property owners/occupiers or vehicle drivers who may be charged (reg 17).","Detailed, short deadlines for data and reporting create operational compliance burdens (e.g. 24 hours for connections/modifications/disconnections — regs 24(2), 25(2), 26(2); 15 minutes for alarm-system failure — reg 27(3)).","Fee calculation mechanism uses fee units and a per‑appliance, per‑15‑minute basis (reg 17; Schedule 2) which ties charges to Monetary Units Act valuations, requiring routine indexation and rounding (Explanatory details).","Discretionary powers and internal rules broaden implementation choices: general orders issued by the Fire Rescue Commissioner (reg 11); charges for property protection subject to Minister direction (reg 19); Commission discretion to extend appeal times (reg 14(2)).","Record‑keeping and publication obligations add compliance work: General Order Book accessibility (reg 11(3)–(4)); Commission Register and signed determinations (reg 16(1)–(3)); fire prevention notice forms and public notice content (regs 22, Schedules 3–4).","Cross‑references to other Acts and defined technical terms raise interpretive complexity (Fire Rescue Victoria Act 1958; Building Act 1993; Monetary Units Act 2004; defined terms such as Persistent Feature Identifier, 'tested end‑to‑end' — regs 5, 23–29).","Detailed cost recovery for hazardous/toxic incidents requires itemised accounting (reg 18 lists recoverable cost categories including equipment, testing, accommodation, transport and medical costs)."],"plain_english_summary":"These Regulations set operational rules for Fire Rescue Victoria covering staff management (appointments, fitness, discipline and appeals), fees for attendances and services, fire prevention notices, and precise alarm‑monitoring data and timing requirements. They affect Fire Rescue Victoria employees, alarm monitoring services, property owners/occupiers, vehicle drivers and parties responsible for hazardous incidents. The instrument specifies who pays for responses to false alarms and hazardous events, what alarm data must be supplied and when, and creates administrative and record‑keeping duties that change compliance costs and decision‑making processes."},"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"Unauthenticated. Configure AI_GATEWAY_API_KEY or use a provider module. Learn more: https://ai-sdk.dev/unauthenticated-ai-gateway","source":"analysis-cron"},"issue_detection":{"absurdities":[],"contradictions":[]},"summary":{"complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"Based on the limited content available, there is no evidence of scope change from the original intent. The regulations appear to remain focused on general administrative and operational matters for Fire Rescue Victoria as originally designed. However, the consolidated version status indicates the regulations have been updated since first made in 2020, and without the full text, any scope drift cannot be conclusively ruled out."},"complexity_factors":["Insufficient substantive content provided to assess true complexity — only metadata and version history headers are present","Subordinate legislation (regulations) typically carry moderate complexity as they must be read alongside the parent Act","Fire Rescue Victoria regulatory framework involves multiple interacting pieces of legislation (FRV Act, emergency management laws, occupational health and safety rules)","Consolidated versioning suggests amendments have been made, which can create layered reading complexity"],"plain_english_summary":"These regulations are the operational and administrative rules under the Fire Rescue Victoria Act, governing how FRV — its firefighters and staff — and members of the public and businesses interacting with FRV are managed. They set out everyday matters like staff conduct, disciplinary and administrative processes, fees and equipment/operational standards.\n\nThe provided extract contains mostly metadata and headings, not the substantive rules, so specific rights or obligations can’t be confirmed from it."},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":4,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The Regulations appear consistent with their original intent as set out in regulation 1: managing FRV employees, operating the Appeals Commission, setting fees, and prescribing matters under the Fire Rescue Victoria Act 1958. The detailed alarm monitoring provisions in Part 6, while technically specific, fall within the scope of 'other matters authorised by the Act to be prescribed by regulation' and reflect modern operational needs for automated dispatch systems."},"complexity_factors":["Straightforward structure with 6 clear Parts covering distinct operational areas","Only 9 defined terms in the interpretation section (regulation 5), most being technical alarm-monitoring terms or specific role titles","Minimal cross-referencing—primarily references to the parent Fire Rescue Victoria Act 1958 and a few other Acts (Transport Accident Act, Building Act, etc.)","Part 6 (alarm monitoring) contains repetitive, highly specific technical data requirements with multiple sub-paragraphs for different scenarios (connection, disconnection, modification, failure)","Some conditional timing requirements (e.g., 5 working days vs 24 hours vs 15 minutes depending on alarm event type)","Fee calculation requires external reference to the Monetary Units Act 2004 (fee units currently $14.81)","No nested exceptions or complex conditional logic—most provisions are directive ('must provide X within Y days')","Schedules contain template forms but these are simple administrative documents"],"plain_english_summary":"This legislation sets out the operational rules for Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV), the firefighting service covering metropolitan Melbourne and major regional centres in Victoria.\n\n**What it does:**\n\nThe Regulations cover four main areas:\n\n**1. Managing firefighters and staff**\n- Sets rules for hiring, medical fitness checks, and promotions based on merit\n- Establishes a disciplinary system including 'general orders' (official instructions staff must follow) and lists specific offences like being drunk on duty, disobeying orders, or committing crimes involving dishonesty\n- Creates an internal appeals process where firefighters can challenge promotion or disciplinary decisions through the Fire Rescue Victoria Appeals Commission\n\n**2. Fees for services**\n- Charges property owners for false fire alarms (when there's no reasonable excuse)\n- Bills people responsible for hazardous material spills or toxic fires for the full cost of the emergency response, including equipment cleaning, medical testing, and specialist advice\n- Allows FRV to charge for commercial services like building inspections and fire safety advice\n- Sets fees for road accident rescue services (charged to insurers like the Transport Accident Commission or WorkSafe)\n\n**3. Fire prevention**\n- Prescribes the official form for fire prevention notices—orders requiring landowners to clear vegetation or take other steps to reduce fire risk\n\n**4. Alarm monitoring systems**\n- Requires private alarm monitoring companies to provide detailed technical information to FRV when connecting, modifying, or disconnecting fire alarms\n- Sets strict timeframes (sometimes within 15 minutes for system failures) for reporting technical issues\n- Ensures FRV's dispatch system has accurate location data for every monitored alarm\n\n**Who it affects:**\n- Fire Rescue Victoria employees (especially operational firefighters)\n- Property owners with automatic fire alarms\n- Businesses handling hazardous materials\n- Alarm monitoring companies\n- Anyone receiving FRV's commercial services\n\n**Why it matters:**\nThese rules ensure firefighters are properly managed and disciplined, establish who pays for emergency callouts (preventing taxpayer-funded responses to false alarms or private incidents), and create a technical framework ensuring fire alarms actually work when lives are at stake."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/fire-rescue-victoria-general-regulations-2020","history":"/api/acts/fire-rescue-victoria-general-regulations-2020/history","analysis":"/api/acts/fire-rescue-victoria-general-regulations-2020/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/fire-rescue-victoria-general-regulations-2020/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/fire-rescue-victoria-general-regulations-2020/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/fire-rescue-victoria-general-regulations-2020/documents"}}