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The problem
The NSW Rural Fire Service is one of the world's largest volunteer-based fire and emergency services organisations, with a workforce spanning both paid staff and tens of thousands of volunteers across NSW.
Ensuring consistent understanding of enterprise risk management across such a dispersed, mixed audience, many of whom cannot be compelled to complete training, required a fundamentally different approach to a standard compliance module.
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The existing ERM content needed updating to align with current industry standards and relevant NSW Government Treasury policy, while also reflecting the RFS's own internal risk management processes and frameworks. The solution needed to work equally well on a mobile device for a volunteer in the field as on a desktop for a head office employee.
Our solution
We designed and developed a single 30-minute eLearning module in Articulate Rise, "Enterprise Risk Management Essentials", built around one central design challenge: how do you make enterprise risk management feel relevant to someone who doesn't think risk management is their job?
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The answer was context. Rather than presenting ERM as a framework to be learned, we built the module around a single running scenario (a fictional plan to roll out a new communications system) that carried learners through the full risk management process from identification to treatment.
Every concept landed in a situation the audience would recognise, with animated characters, real decision points and consequence-led feedback that showed what good risk management looks like in practice.
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The module was structured sequentially across seven lessons, reflecting the nature of risk management as an end-to-end process rather than a collection of standalone topics. Interactive elements (sorting activities, labelled graphics and scenario-based decision points) were used throughout to keep learners active at every stage.
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Accessibility and mobile responsiveness were built in from the start, with closed captions and transcripts for all video content - essential for volunteers completing training on their own devices, in their own time.
The outcome
The module was delivered on time and deployed to all NSW RFS staff and volunteers via the RFS Learning Management System.
With no mandatory requirement to complete it, over 400 people chose to do so between August and December 2025: a strong indication that the content resonated with its audience.
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"We worked with Learnopolis to develop a tailored Risk Management eLearn for all NSW RFS staff and couldn't be happier with how it turned out. Jen and Nicola understood our requirements and delivered on time with exceptional professionalism and technical expertise. I would not hesitate in recommending them to anyone looking to develop an engaging eLearn solution."
Edward Brookton, NSW Rural Fire Service