Office 365 is now live for all volunteers!
Volunteers are an important part of our workforce and the phased roll-out of Office 365 has brought a new level of connectivity, communication, collaboration and engagement for volunteers and the wider department.
The decision to standardise our communication tools aligns with the vision of an integrated department working together to meet the needs of the communities we serve. Streamlining our work and processes will also strengthen our day-to-day business.
Volunteer Communication
By enabling volunteers to work together online, Office 365 is available to streamline and strengthen communications at a local level. This includes improved real-time communication and collaboration before, during and after any emergency event. These new communication channels are in addition to those already in use within the Rural Fire Service Queensland.
What's in the QFES Office 365 roll-out?
Our volunteer memebrs are able to use Office 365 for everything from corporate email to project and team document collaboration and online meetings. It gives our volunteers access to communication tools anywhere, anytime and on any device.
As a starting point, each volunteer receives a dedicated email address which, when activated, will be their point of contact with the department. This provides a fast method of contact and complements existing and essential face-to-face communications. Other Office 365 capabilities include an online calendar, instant messaging, file storing and sharing as well as access to a suite of Microsoft software such as Word, Excel, OneNote and PowerPoint.
Volunteer members are able to host and participate in video-capable online meetings with colleagues across the department from a desktop computer or mobile device. The below gives a brief explanation of what is available in Office 365.
Email and calendars - includes Outlook email, 50GB mailbox storage and send attachments up to 150MB.
Online meetings - with audio, HD video and web conferencing. Join meetings from a computer or mobile device.
Instant messaging and Skype - connect via Skype for instant messaging, voice calls, video calls and to let people know your availability.
File storage and sharing - 1TB of personal cloud storage, share documents with others and control who can see and edit.
Office online - create and edit Word, OneNote, PowerPoint and Excel documents.
Work management - create new plans, assign tasks, share files and chat about what you're working on.
Professional digital storytelling - create engaging, interactive web-based reports, presentations, newsletters and training.
Search and discovery - search for content across Office 365 based on personalised insights.
Corporate video portal - QFES-wide video upload, sharing and discovery.
How to access Office 365
Go to www.office.com and log in with the redentials assigned to you.
To register for an Office 365 account, follow the below:
- Visit the volunteer portal access page and select register.
- Complete the Member Registration form with the details you have provided to us and submit.
- Await confirmation of portal access. Once your account is registered successfully, the success page will display your Volunteer Portal Login ID and your Office 365 email address.
Your Office 365 email address is your Office 365 Login ID. The password will be the same as your registered Volunteer Portal password.
Once you have an account created, you can access your Office 365 applications via www.office.com.
If you have forgotten your password, please select "forgot password" on the volunteer portal login screen and follow the prompts to reset your password. If you continue to have problems, contact the ICT Service Centre by telephone on 1300 487 722.
Note:
The volunteer portal only has two functions.
1) create a new Office 365 account for new volunteers,
2) Office 365 password reset.
QFES Policies
Acceptable Use Policy (PDF, 91 KB)
Electronic Communications and Email Policy (PDF, 304 KB)
Email changes
Each volunteer member will receive a dedicated email address in the format below:
- RFSQ - Firstname.Surname@rfs.qfes.qld.gov.au
When you activate your Office 365 account this email contact will be used instead of your previously nominated personal email accounts such as Gmail, Hotmail, Telstra, Optus, iiNet etc.
This change ensures you continue to receive news and announcements from us even if you change personal or work email accounts. If it is more convenient, your new email address can be redirected to your existing day-to-day account.
Stay informed
To help you stay informed, information about Office 365 can be available on Gateway. Questions or feedback can also be directed to Office365FeedbackRFS@rfs.qfes.qld.gov.au
Further information
If you haven't yet checked out the Microsoft Office 365 E1 services, please review the links below: