South Australian Country Fire Service Promotions Unit

Raising awareness of the roles, training and activities of CFS Volunteers state-wide


Joining an Operations Brigade
Submitted On	Sunday, February 8, 2026
Submitted By	Pip

If you have been following the Deep Creek fire, you may have seen a little bit about those members not working the front line, but provide vital support to the front line. Many of those people belong to a CFS Operations brigade. So whats involved and how do you go about joining? So what does an operations brigade do? There are 20 Operations brigades around the state - and they may undertake different roles, depending on the brigade. Generally speaking, members in Operations brigades may carry out the following: Radio communications Scribing (either at a CFS station or on the fireground in a command car) Command Car driver Catering (organising it or actually preparing food) Logistics (organising supplies for a job, arranging additional crews etc) Being part of an Incident Management Team Coordinating crews for a strike team Administration (managing correspondence, emails etc) Finance (paying accounts, managing donations) Fundraising Bomber refilling Set up of communications or weather trailers Driving appliances or supplies around Staging area duties Ground observer and more! Most of the time, member of operations brigades are working on small incidents - as there are not that many really big incidents going for an extended period of time. Some of the duties are out and about, others station based. It is allowable for a person to hold dual membership of a normal brigade and an operations brigade. For new members, a Police Check is required - no cost to you. The brigade will provide the relevant paperwork. For most brigades, new members are required to undertake the CFS Basic Firefighter 1 (BF1) course - usually held over a weekend, and sometimes during weekdays. You will not be allowed on the fireground until this course is completed. Members going out and about will be required to undertake an annual burn over drill (a requirement for any CFS member heading out to the fireground.) ALL training is provided at no charge. There is an expectation that you will attend regular training sessions, provided by the brigade over the course of the year. Depending on the brigade, this may be weekly or fortnightly over the year, or just during the fire season - each brigade can advise of their specific requirements. All uniform is provided. If any of this sounds like something you are interested in, you need to determine which brigade to join. Unlike a normal brigade, Operations brigades are not so critical to be living within a short distance of the station. To find out the Operations brigades around the state, go to Find a Station on the menu to your left If you enter Operation that will bring up all of the Operations brigades across the state. If you click on that brigade, it will give you contact details for them. Please note - Dont turn up to a brigade and expect to sign a membership form on the spot and straight away be out on the job. We have a process to follow, and training to undertake. If you want to do something for your community (and the wider South Australian Community), feel part of a team, learn new skills or apply your existing skills, then an Operations brigade could be for you.

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