Department of Fire & Emergency
Services
Disability Access and Inclusion Plan
2015-2020
18 March 2016
Copies of this DAIP can be made available in alternative formats upon request, including hard
copy in standard and large print, electronic format, audio format, by email and on the Department
of Fire and Emergency Services website.
DFES DISABILTY ACCESS AND
INCLUSION PLAN 2015-2020
Acknowledgements
The Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) acknowledges the input received from
many individuals and groups within the community, which has been invaluable in the preparation
of this Disability Access and Inclusion Plan.
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DFES DISABILTY ACCESS AND
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Table Of Contents
Background
4
Development of the Disability Access and Inclusion Plan
5
DFES – A Safer Community
6
DFES Statement of Commitment
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Strategies to Improve Access and Inclusion
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Outcome 1: People with disability have the same opportunities as other people to access the
services of, and any events organised by DFES.
9
Outcome 2: People with disability have the same opportunities as other people to access DFES
buildings and other facilities that are deemed reasonable and appropriate.
9
Outcome 3: People with disability receive information from DFES in a format that will enable
them to access the information as readily as other people are able to access it.
10
Outcome 4: People with disability receive the same level and quality of service from the staff and
volunteers of DFES as other people receive from the staff and volunteers of DFES.
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Outcome 5: People with disability have the same opportunities as other people to make
complaints to DFES.
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Outcome 6: People with disability have the same opportunities as other people to participate in
public consultation by DFES.
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Outcome 7: People with disability have the same opportunities as other people to obtain and
maintain employment with DFES.
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DFES DISABILTY ACCESS AND
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Background
Disability Defined
The Disability Services Act 1993 defines “disability”:
“disability” means a disability —
(a) which is attributable to an intellectual, psychiatric, cognitive, neurological, sensory, or
physical impairment or a combination of those impairments;
(b) which is permanent or likely to be permanent;
(c) which may or may not be of a chronic or episodic nature; and
(d) which results in —
(i) a substantially reduced capacity of the person for communication, social interaction,
learning or mobility; and
(ii) a need for continuing support services;
Planning for Better Access
Disability affects one sixth of the Western Australian population.
The 2012 Survey of Disability Ageing and Carers conducted by the Australian Bureau of
Statistics found:

An estimated 389,800 people reported having a disability.

236,200 people are carers of people with disability.
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Over one sixth of the WA population have a disability (which equates to 16.2 per cent).

More than 45 per cent of people aged 60 years are reported to have a disability.
Around 2.7 per cent or 57,000 people aged under 65 years are reported to have severe or
profound disability (SDAC 2012).
It is a requirement of the Disability Services Act 1993 (The Act) that public authorities such as the
Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) develop and implement a Disability Access
and Inclusion Plan (DAIP) that outlines the ways in which they will ensure that people with
disability have equal access to its facilities and services.
Other legislation underpinning access and inclusion includes the WA Equal Opportunity Act 1984
and the Commonwealth’s Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (DDA).
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DFES DISABILTY ACCESS AND
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Progress since 2010
Since the adoption of the 2010 DAIP, DFES has implemented many initiatives and made
significant progress towards better access to its information, services and facilities for people
with disability. Below are examples of some of the improvements:
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Successful recruitment and mentoring support for a staff member with a disability that
encompassed his family, colleagues and Asperger’s Association.
DFES website was developed by specification to meet the Website Governance Framework
(WGF) and W3C Guidelines v2.0AA.
Supported Telethon Speech and Hearing Services to improve DFES Fire Safety in the Home
DVD to be suitable for people with a hearing impairment.
Development of the Disability Access and Inclusion Plan
Responsibility for the planning process
Responsibility for coordinating the DAIP rests with DFES’s Hazard Planning and Response
portfolio. A DFES DAIP Committee has been formed to oversee the development,
implementation and evaluation of the DAIP. To reflect the importance DFES places on meeting
the needs of people with disabilities, the Chair of the DAIP Steering Committee was appointed at
the Assistant Commissioner level.
The Steering Committee includes representatives from each Command.
Community consultation process
DFES commenced consultation with key stakeholders in 2015 and drafting of a DAIP to guide
further improvements to access and inclusion. The process included:
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examination of the previous DAIP and subsequent review reports to see what has been
achieved and what still needs work.
examination of other relevant DFES documents and strategies.
investigation of contemporary trends and good practice in access and inclusion.
consultation with key staff.
In 2015 the community was informed through The West Australian newspaper and the
Department’s website that DFES was developing a DAIP to address the barriers that people with
disability and their families experience in accessing DFES functions, facilities and services.
The community were able to access DFES’s DAIP via DFES’s website. Community and DFES
personnel could provide input into the development of the plan by direct contact (telephone, mail
or email).
Communication of the DAIP
Following consultation, the DAIP was finalised and submitted to the Disability Services
Commission. The community was informed of the final DAIP through an advertisement in
The West Australian newspaper and on the Department’s website. The website provides
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DFES DISABILTY ACCESS AND
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information that copies of the DAIP are available upon request and in alternative formats if
required, including hard copy in standard and large print, electronic format, audio format
on cassette or CD, or by email. Staff were informed of the final DAIP through an all-staff email
and the DAIP has been placed on the Office's intranet.
DAIP reporting
In accordance with the Act, DFES will submit an annual progress report, by the required date, to
the Disability Services Commission on the implementation of the DAIP. The progress report will
be in the prescribed proforma and will provide information about progress towards the desired
outcomes of our DAIP and, where applicable, action of agents and contractors towards meeting
the desired outcomes.
The Department will also provide information about the progress made through the DAIP in its
Annual Report. In accordance with the Act, we will review the DAIP every five years.
New Directions
Whilst DFES has made significant progress in addressing issues relating to physical access to
buildings and facilities and employment, the DAIP needed to be expanded to include strategies
aimed at improving service delivery, in particular:
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Continued improvement to Alerts and Warnings.
Opportunities are available to all people, includingpeople with disability , to participate in
public consultation that is undertaken by DFES and to make complaints through our
Customer Feedback process.
Opportunities are available to all people, people with disabiityto make complaints through
our Customer Feedback process.
An increased organisational understanding and awareness raising of the needs of people
with disability.
The identification of these barriers informed the development of strategies in the DAIP.
DFES – A Safer Community
Community Centred Approach
DFES was established in November 2012, comprising career personnel, corporate staff
members and a large network of volunteers engaged in the delivery of services to the
community. DFES also receives significant support in response from local government Bush Fire
Brigade volunteers.
DFES’s vision of a safer community requires working in partnership with the people of Western
Australia to create safer, more resilient communities. DFES seeks to encourage individuals and
communities to take greater responsibility for their own safety, to be more self-reliant and to be
better prepared to cope with emergencies. Our greatest priority is to build community resilience
and capacity to prevent, prepare for and cope with such emergencies – and so minimise their
impact.
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DFES DISABILTY ACCESS AND
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In order to achieve this, it is important to understand the views and needs of individual
communities, and tailor our service delivery to accommodate and respect individual and
community social, economic, cultural, environmental and geographic conditions.
What we do
DFES’s volunteers and staff provide emergency response and management services 24 hours a
day, every day of the year, to individuals and communities across the State of Western Australia.
DFES personnel respond to a range of hazards; including bush and structural fires, incidents
involving hazardous materials (chemical, biological, radiological), floods, storms, cyclones and
earthquakes. Emergency services personnel also undertake searches and rescues on land and
at sea.
In addition to responding to emergencies, DFES, in collaboration with other agencies and local
governments, also undertakes and supports wide-ranging programs to help the community
prevent, mitigate against, prepare for, and recover from natural hazards and other emergencies.
DFES has a key role in providing education, awareness, information, alerts and warnings to the
community about threatened and actual emergencies.
DFES has a high level of contact with the community and its services are provided directly to the
community; with emergency response delivered by operational response personnel and other
services provided from DFES’s offices, buildings, leased or hired venues, stations and units.
DFES Values
DFES places great importance on people. Living our values and strong leadership are integral to
the way we work with each other and the community for a safer Western Australia. DFES values
guide behaviour and our decision making. DFES has seven values:
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Put the community first.
Work together as a committed team.
Respect and value each other.
Continuously improve our services.
Act with integrity and honesty.
Have open and honest two-way communications.
Strive to keep ourselves and others safe.
DFES 2012-2024 – Strategic Plan
The DFES planning framework is a tiered system that supports whole of government goals and
cascades from DFES 2012- 2024 Strategic Plan (DFES 2024) through to individual performance
agreements. DFES 2024 is supported by operations, people, assets and technology specific
streams. The development, implementation and monitoring of DFES’s DAIP forms part of the
Valued and Capable People implementation stream.
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DFES DISABILTY ACCESS AND
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DFES Statement of Commitment
DFES recognises that people with disability may be especially vulnerable to, and have individual
requirements in order to be able deal with the impacts of natural disasters and other
emergencies.
DFES interprets an accessible and inclusive community as one in which DFES functions,
facilities and services are equally open, available and accessible to people with disability, their
families and carers that are available to other members of the public. As such, DFES commits
to:

Ensuring that people with disability, their families and carers can access the range of
DFES services and facilities that are available to other members of the public.

Consulting with people with disability, their families and carers and, where required,
disability organisations, to ensure that barriers to access and inclusion and special needs
in terms of coping with emergencies are recognised and are addressed appropriately.

Requiring that its agents and contractors work towards the desired access and inclusion
outcomes in the DAIP. (It is a requirement of the Act that public authorities take all
practical measures to ensure that the DAIP is implemented by its staff, agents and
contractors) – another way to describe the point above.

Working in partnership with community groups and other public authorities to facilitate the
inclusion of people with disability through improved access to its information, services and
facilities.
DFES is committed to achieving the seven desired outcomes of its DAIP. These are:
1. People with disability have the same opportunities as other people to access the services of,
and any events organised by DFES.
2. People with disability have the same opportunities as other people to access DFES buildings
and other facilities that are deemed reasonable and appropriate.
3. People with disability receive information from DFES in a format that will enable them to
access the information as readily as other people.
4. People with disability receive the same level and quality of service from staff and volunteers.
5. People with disability have the same opportunities as other people to make complaints to
DFES.
6. People with disability have the same opportunities as other people to participate in any public
consultation by DFES.
7. People with disability have the same opportunities as other people to obtain and maintain
employment within DFES.
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DFES DISABILTY ACCESS AND
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Strategies to Improve Access and Inclusion
As a result of the consultation process, the following overarching strategies will guide tasks,
outlined in the Implementation Plan, that DFES will undertake from 2015-2020 to improve access
to its services, buildings and information. The seven desired outcomes provide a framework for
improving access and inclusion for people with disability.
Outcome 1: People with disability have the same opportunities as other people to
access the services of, and any events organised by DFES.
Strategy
Timeline
1.1 Establish a Disability Access Committee to guide July 2015
the implementation of DAIP activities.
1.2 Ensure that people with disability are provided with Ongoing
an opportunity to comment on access to services.
1.3 Incorporate the objectives of the DAIP into the Ongoing
DFES’s strategic business planning, budgeting
processes and other relevant plans and strategies.
1.4 Ensure that events are organised so that they are Ongoing
accessible to people with disability.
1.5 Ensure that DFES staff, volunteers, agents and Ongoing
contractors are aware of the relevant requirements of
the Disability Services Act 1993.
Outcome 2: People with disability have the same opportunities as other people to
access DFES buildings and other facilities that are deemed reasonable and
appropriate.
Strategy
Timeline
2.1 Ensure that all buildings and facilities that are Ongoing
publicly available are physically accessible to people
with disability by completing a buildings access audit
including signage and signals.
2.2 Ensure that all future premises leased by the Ongoing
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DFES DISABILTY ACCESS AND
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DFES are accessible.
2.3 Ensure that all premises and other infrastructure Ongoing
related to transport facilities that are publicly
accessible are accessible to people with disability.
2.4 Ensure that ACROD parking meets the needs of Ongoing
people with disability in terms of quantity and location.
Outcome 3: People with disability receive information from DFES in a format that will
enable them to access the information as readily as other people are able to access it.
Strategy
Timeline
3.1 Ensure community warnings and alerts are
delivered in alternative mediums.
3.2 Improve community awareness that DFES
information can be made available in alternative
formats as appropriate.
3.3 Improve staff awareness of accessible
information needs and how to obtain information in
other formats.
3.4 Ensure that DFES’ online systems meet
contemporary best practice in regards to accessibility.
3.5 Provide documentation about DFES’s services,
facilities and customer feedback in an appropriate
format and using plain language.
3.6 Investigate and facilitate the use of interpreters to
improve the accessibility of DFES meetings to people
with a hearing impairment.
Ongoing
Ongoing
Ongoing
Ongoing
Ongoing
Ongoing
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DFES DISABILTY ACCESS AND
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Outcome 4: People with disability receive the same level and quality of service from
the staff and volunteers of DFES as other people receive from the staff and volunteers
of DFES.
Strategy
Timeline
4.1 Continue to improve staff awareness of disability
and access issues and improve skills to provide a
good service to people with disability.
4.2 Improve the awareness of staff about disability
and access issues by holding information sessions.
4.3 Further generate and sustain staff awareness of
disability and access issues through quarterly
workshops and other mediums.
4.4 Establish mechanisms to seek the opinions and
experiences of people who consume the services
and products of DFES around serving people with
disability.
Ongoing
Ongoing
Ongoing
Ongoing
Outcome 5: People with disability have the same opportunities as other people to make
complaints to DFES.
Strategy
Timeline
5.1 Evaluate current grievance mechanisms to make Ongoing
sure they are accessible for people with disability.
5.2 Improve staff knowledge so they can facilitate the Ongoing
receipt of complaints from people with or on behalf of
a person with a disability.
5.3 Ensure that grievance mechanism processes and Ongoing
outcome satisfaction survey forms are available in
formats to meet the needs of people with disability.
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DFES DISABILTY ACCESS AND
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Outcome 6: People with disability have the same opportunities as other people to
participate in public consultation by DFES.
Strategy
Timeline
6.1
Improve
community
awareness
consultation processes in place.
about Ongoing
6.2 Identify key disability groups to
engagement during consultation processes.
ensure Ongoing
6.3 Ensure public consultation processes and Ongoing
channels are accessible for people with disability.
Outcome 7: People with disability have the same opportunities as other people to
obtain and maintain employment with DFES.
Strategy
Timeline
7.1 Commit to using inclusive recruitment, selection Ongoing
and appointment practices.
7.2 Engage with appropriate disability employment Ongoing
support providers.
7.3 Provide support and training for supervisors, co- Ongoing
workers, management staff and volunteer leaders.
7.4 Ensure policies and procedures are regularly Ongoing
reviewed.
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