Bushfire Manager
Emergency Management Specialist
Incident Controller

Related Jobs or Working with these Jobs

As an emergency disaster planner, you'll play a key role in protecting and maintaining public safety. Working as part of a team, you'll anticipate and plan for major incidents and respond to threats to public safety. You can work in local or central government, or in a public body or agency tasked with responding to emergencies or disasters.

Emergency & Disaster Planner respond to incidents such as:

Bushfires
Epidemics and pandemics, such as swine flu and Covid-19
Flooding
Acts of terrorism
Major industrial accidents
Other natural disasters eg. cyclones

Types of emergency planner

You'll specialise in either:

emergency planning and management
business continuity management - where you'll support businesses operating in adverse conditions.

A related but distinct area is international relief and development.

ANZSCO ID: 441211

Alternative names: Bushfire Risk Planning Coordinator; Emergency Preparedness Project Manager; Civil Resilience or Civil Contingencies Officer;

Knowledge, skills and attributes

To become an emergency disaster planner, you would need:

• strong people skills and communication skills - the ability to communicate with people at all levels
• good observational skills - attention to detail and a thorough approach
• the capability to work to deadlines and prioritise tasks
• the ability to maintain accurate records
• analytical and problem-solving skills.
• knowledge of relevant legislation, local services and resources.

Duties and Tasks

• Propose alteration of emergency response procedures based on regulatory changes, technological changes, or knowledge gained from outcomes of previous emergency situations.
• Analyse and plan for potential risks, such as outbreaks of infections or disease, technical failure of electricity networks, major gas leaks and severe weather conditions
• Write and implement safety development plans and reports
• Communicate with emergency services and other bodies in the event of an emergency
• Keep informed of activities or changes that could affect the likelihood of an emergency, as well as those that could affect response efforts and details of plan implementation.
• Conduct surveys to determine the types of emergency-related needs to be addressed in disaster planning or provide technical support to others conducting such surveys.
• Prepare and conduct safety exercises
• Develop and perform tests and evaluations of emergency management plans in accordance with state and federal regulations.
• Prepare emergency situation status reports that describe response and recovery efforts, needs, and preliminary damage assessments.
• Study emergency plans used elsewhere to gather information for plan development.
• Review emergency plans of individual organizations, such as medical facilities, to ensure their adequacy.
• Train local groups in the preparation of long-term plans that are compatible with federal and state plans.
• Help to coordinate the response of all non-emergency service organisations
• Inventory and distribute nuclear, biological, and chemical detection and contamination equipment, providing instruction in its maintenance and use.
• Develop and implement training procedures and strategies for radiological protection, detection, and decontamination.
• Provide communities with assistance in applying for federal funding for emergency management facilities, radiological instrumentation, and other related items.
• Provide advice and consultancy to businesses to ensure that they can carry on functioning in the event of an emergency
• Complete risk assessments for a diverse range of sites, such as chemical factories, nuclear factories, city centres and major sporting venues
• Act as duty officer as part of a 24-hour duty system, responding to emergency situations as they arise
• Work with a range of agencies to ensure that normal support for local communities continues in the event of an emergency
• Support the recovery of local communities to their pre-incident state
• Liaise with the police, fire services and the army

Threats to business that need to be planned for...
(Source: Nextiva)

Working conditions

Most emergency disaster planners would work general office hours, Monday to Friday. In the case of emergency situations, you may be required to work, or to be on call for, long periods of time, including nights, weekends and public holidays.

When visiting outside locations and industrial settings you may be required to wear protective clothing, such as a high visibility jacket and a hard hat.
This is often a high-profile role so you need to dress smartly for meetings, presentations and some site visits.

The job is pressured, with elements of risk and a high degree of responsibility, not only when responding to emergency situations such as floods or terrorism threats but also when managing a varied workload and meeting strict deadlines.

Emergency disaster planners work in a broad range of organisations including government departments, emergency services, utility companies, large corporations such as mining and construction companies and international aid organisations. You would usually work in an office, but may need to visit sites to perform assessments, evaluations, and respond to emergencies. In the case of natural disasters, you may be required to work outdoors, in hazardous conditions and in all weathers. You may be required to travel, and be away from home for periods of time during emergency situations. Travel is a regular part of the role, with occasional overnight stays.

You would normally work with an Emergency Management Specialist.

How to find out your disaster risks | Get Ready Queensland
https://youtu.be/4aIy0TU-Mco

Education and training/entrance requirements

A relevant first degree is required for emergency planning/management officer roles and suitable subjects include:

business continuity and security management
disaster management
environmental hazards and disaster management
international security and disaster management.

There are a number of specialised courses for professionals working in the voluntary, health, public and other sectors. While these do not necessarily qualify you to move into emergency planning roles, they do support a move into work relating to emergency planning and continued professional development.

Work Experience: Employers value relevant work experience and so a part-time job or a placement in an emergency planning role will be an advantage.

Employment Opportunities

There are opportunities to work overseas for humanitarian organisations such as the World Health Organisation (WHO). Charities are also key recruiters of emergency planners and provide opportunities throughout Australia and overseas.

Increasingly, private companies are taking on business continuity specialists to protect their operations in the event of an emergency, particularly within the financial services. As with consultancy work, these roles usually require a good level of experience in the field, as well as a business continuity qualification.

Health-related emergency planning courses are available from the relevant public health bodies.

With a relevant qualification, it's possible to move into:

international relief and development work
relief and development work
risk assessment and health and safety consultancy.

One of the more established career pathways exists within local authorities across the country, where you may progress from an assistant emergency planning officer to emergency planning officer, and then into a senior management role. In these roles, you may specialise in a specific area, such as human or animal health and severe weather planning. Senior officers in local authorities tend to take on more staff management and development responsibilities, moving away from the direct planning and response aspects of the job.

Emergency management specialists plan and coordinate emergency responses to natural or man-made disasters or emergency situations. Plan and direct disaster response or crisis management activities, provide disaster preparedness training, and prepare emergency plans and procedures for natural (e.g., hurricanes, floods, earthquakes), wartime, or technological (e.g., nuclear power plant emergencies or hazardous materials spills) disasters or hostage situations.

ANZSCO ID: 441211

Knowledge, skills and attributes

To become an emergency management specialist, you would need:

• high energy levels
• project management skills
• adaptability, resilience and problem solving skills
• decisiveness in decision making
• a flexible attitude, with the ability to manage a range of tasks at once
• attention to detail
• to be able to manage multiple tasks
• the ability to react calmly and operate effectively under pressure
• strong verbal and written communication skills
• to keep up-to-date with new technologies and procedures.

(Source: Charles Sturt University)

Duties and Tasks

As an emergency management professional, you might:

• Keep informed of activities or changes that could affect the likelihood of an emergency, as well as those that could affect response efforts and details of plan implementation.
• Consult with officials of local and area governments, schools, hospitals, and other institutions to determine their needs and capabilities in the event of a natural disaster or other emergency.
• Design and administer emergency or disaster preparedness training courses that teach people how to effectively respond to major emergencies and disasters.
• Keep informed of federal, state, and local regulations affecting emergency plans and ensure that plans adhere to these regulations.
• Maintain and update all resource materials associated with emergency preparedness plans.
• Prepare plans that outline operating procedures to be used in response to disasters or emergencies, such as hurricanes, nuclear accidents, and terrorist attacks, and in recovery from these events.
• Study emergency plans used elsewhere to gather information for plan development.
• Coordinate disaster response or crisis management activities, such as ordering evacuations, opening public shelters, and implementing special needs plans and programs.
• Develop and maintain liaisons with municipalities, county departments, and similar entities to facilitate plan development, response effort coordination, and exchanges of personnel and equipment.
• Collaborate with other officials to prepare and analyze damage assessments following disasters or emergencies.
• Develop instructional materials for the public and make presentations to citizens' groups to provide information on emergency plans and their implementation processes
• Inspect facilities and equipment, such as emergency management centers and communications equipment, to determine their operational and functional capabilities in emergency situations.
• Propose alteration of emergency response procedures based on regulatory changes, technological changes, or knowledge gained from outcomes of previous emergency situations.
• Prepare emergency situation status reports that describe response and recovery efforts, needs, and preliminary damage assessments.
• Apply for federal funding for emergency-management-related needs and administer and report on the progress of such grants.
• Analyse potential risks
• Develop plans, processes and policies for responses to emergencies
• Coordinate emergency response or crisis management activities
• Develop and deliver emergency management training
• Continually review and update existing emergency management plans
• Oversee performance tests and evaluations of emergency management plans
• Keep informed of activities or changes that could affect the likelihood of an emergency
• Liaise with local, state and federal government departments and other emergency management organisations and professionals
• Maintain the emergency action room
• Oversee the procurement and maintenance of emergency equipment
• Rrecruit, manage and train other emergency management staff, including wardens or volunteers
• Produce appropriate reports on emergencies as required by regulations and legislation

• Attend meetings, conferences and workshops related to emergency management to learn new information and to develop working relationships with other emergency management specialists
  
  

(Source: RACGP)

Working conditions

Most emergency management specialists would work general office hours, Monday to Friday. In the case of emergency situations, you may be required to work, or to be on call for, long periods of time, including nights, weekends and public holidays.

Emergency management specialists work in a broad range of organisations including government departments, emergency services, utility companies, large corporations such as mining and construction companies and international aid organisations. You would usually work in an office, but may need to visit sites to perform assessments, evaluations, and respond to emergencies. In the case of natural disasters, you may be required to work outdoors, in hazardous conditions and in all weathers. You may be required to travel, and be away from home for periods of time during emergency situations.

Education and training/entrance requirements

To become an emergency management specialist you usually have to complete a degree that covers subjects such as business continuity, security management or disaster management. English and mathematics would be appropriate subjects to study prior to university.

Alternatively, you might complete a bachelor's degree in any discipline, followed by relevant post-graduate courses in emergency management or emergency planning.

Employment Opportunities

Employment of emergency management professionals is projected to grow about as fast as the average for all occupations. Job opportunities will continue to grow due both to the increase in natural disasters, and increased public recognition of the need to prepare for disasters and major incidents.

Develop and coordinate government and volunteer response measures to bushfires to manage risk to forests, the environment and the public. As Climate Change progresses, Australia will endure more bushfires each year.

Bushfire management can be separated into two categories:

*Firefighting – emergency actions taken to prevent bushfires damaging life or property.

*Fire prevention – preventative actions taken to prevent or reduce the risk of severity of fires before a fire occurs.

ANZSCO ID: 441211

Alternative names: Bushfire Knowledge & Practice Manager, Bushfire Practitioner;

Knowledge, skills and attributes    

• Has a strong strategic mind-set that can grasp high-level recommendations and translate into accessible messages

• Has excellent people development and management skills, and a collaborative and inclusive approach to achieving key outcomes

• Can influence change by applying an adaptive management approach

•  Can identify knowledge and best practice from Traditional Custodians that can be shared across the bushfire sector.

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, and demonstrated ability to work collaboratively, influence and negotiate with a wide variety of stakeholders, including in the volunteer sector, for mutual benefit.

• Excellent human resource management and leadership skills in managing diverse teams to deliver against strategic plans

• Demonstrated practical experience in bushfire management, and a contemporary understanding of the bushfire sector

• Demonstrated experience in leading the development, implementation and coordination of projects, applying a best practice and lessons management philosophy within a large and complex sector.

• Well-developed analytical and conceptual skills, including demonstrated ability to quickly assimilate new concepts and information, and distill and communicate key messages in written form.

Duties and Tasks

• Liaises between government services and volunteer brigades and associations to prevent or respond to emergency situations
• Develop and implement strategies to mitigate the effects of bush fires
• Ensure compliance with Government policies, strategies and statutory obligations
• Provide leadership and at incidents, either at the incident scene or in coordination centres
• Implement strategies to improve bush fire management
• Collect and analyse lessons identified and learnt by stakeholders across the bushfire sector, and maintain strong and productive relationships with bushfire volunteers, local communities and stakeholder groups.
• Provide organisational, management and policy support to volunteer groups as required.

Education and training/entrance requirements

Possession of a bushfire and/or land management qualification (minimum Certificate IV). You must be an Australian Citizen or hold permanent residency. You must have a current National Police Certificate clearance.

The role of Incident Controller is to lead and manage all activities and resources necessary for the
resolution of an emergency incident and the provision of risk information and warnings to the public.
In fulfilling this role the Incident Controller will be responsible for the strategic, operational and tactical
decisions necessary to reduce the impact and consequence of emergency events on communities, where safety, wellbeing and the prosperity of communities is of primary concern.

Appointment to the role of Incident Controller for an emergency incident is made by the organisation with the relevant legislative authority. Therefore, when appointed, the Incident Controller has the legislative authority to make directions and take actions to resolve the incident.

ANZSCO ID: 441211 (closest ID number)
   
Alternative names: Incident Commander,
   
Specialisations: Business or Organisational Major Incidents Controller,

Knowledge, skills and attributes

The Incident Controller will be required to exercise critical thinking and judgement to determine the level of resources and incident structure required to manage the emergency, as well as establish effective information flow and reporting arrangements

Areas of capability
There are two main areas of capability for Incident Management Team members, these
are:
1. capabilities to manage the incident, and
2. capabilities relevant to the specific hazard context.

•  Capabilities to manage the incident include the ability to:

  • Model Leadership and Teamwork: the ability to act with integrity, influence others, and facilitate team efforts towards the achievement of common goals. This involves:
    • modelling ethics, inclusiveness and good governance;
    • creating effective background conditions to build confident and capable teams and engaged stakeholders, and
    • applying effective decision making.

  • Think and plan strategically: the ability to consider multiple perspectives and scenarios to engage in strategic planning and consequence management. This involves
    pursuing sense-making and encouraging same in others;
    • practicing strategic thinking and planning, and
    • enabling consequence management.

  • Demonstrate self-awareness: the ability to monitor stress and fatigue, display resilience and agility and reflect on and adjust to feedback. This involves:
    • monitoring and managing self for symptoms of stress and fatigue;
    • displaying resilience and agility, and
    • recognising own strengths and limitations.

•  Capabilities related to the specific hazard context include the ability to:

  • Apply technical skills/knowledge: having a relevant understanding of existing policies, structures and doctrine to be applied when managing the incident. This involves:
    • effectively applying appropriate legislation, policy and procedures;
    • effectively managing an incident in accordance with AIIMS doctrine;
    • demonstrating understanding of broader stakeholder EM arrangements, and
    • demonstrating understanding of available systems and technologies.

  • Employ expertise in hazard specific knowledge: having a specialist understanding of the risks and behaviours of hazards such as fire, severe weather (flood, storm, and cyclone), search and rescue,hazardous materials, aviation and other hazards.

(Source: Future West)

Duties and Tasks

The Incident Controller will be required to:

•  establish and take control of the incident

• maintain a strong focus on providing warnings and information to the public;

•  establish and manage an incident management structure;

•  assess the situation, identify risks and determine priorities;

•  develop and execute an Incident Action Plan;

•  communicate risk, impact and consequences to community and stakeholders;

•  establish and maintain multi-agency communication and cooperation;

•  establish and operate a control facility;

•  establish and manage media relations;

•  manage the safety and welfare of emergency workers and the Incident Management Team

•  initiate demobilisation and transition to relief and recovery.

Stakeholders

The Incident Controller may be required to manage relationships with a broad range of stakeholders
including:

•  affected communities and individuals

•  executive and senior managers

•  emergency management/services commissioners and chief officers

•  state and regional coordination and control centres

•  multi-jurisdictional emergency management response and recovery agencies

•  local governments

•  national media and public information agencies
  

(Source: One Page)

Education and training/entrance requirements

Registered Level 3 Incident Controller
  
Applicants must be able to provide documented evidence to demonstrate that he or she:
• Has committed to the EMPS Code of Ethics 2017.
• Has successfully fulfilled the role of Incident Controller at moderate to high impact emergency
events for at least two years and in a minimum of three instances, with at least one instance
being in the 12 months before applying. NOTE: this requirement may be met by having fulfilled
the role at more complex level 2 incidents while following a development pathway for level 3
accreditation.
• Is supported by their home agency or jurisdiction. NOTE: nomination for this credential requires
the nominating agency to confirm that in its view the nominee is competent to control a Level 3
incident without mentoring or special supervision

Related Jobs or Working with these Jobs  

Archivist	Army Officer	Call Centre Operator Radio Dispatcher	Corporate Trainer
Emergency Medical Specialist	Environmental Consultant	Environmental Scientist	Farmer
Fire Behaviour Analyst	Firefighter Emergency Service Worker	Forester	Geographer
Helicopter Pilot	Hospital Administrator	Journalist	Mathematician
Meteorologist	Paramedic	Park Ranger	Parliamentarian
Photographer Aerial Photographer	Police Officer	SES Officer	Urban & Regional Planner
WHS Officer

Material sourced from
CareerHQ [Emergency Management Specialist; ]
Career Harvest [Bushfire Manager; ]
My Majors [Emergency Management Director; ]
Prospects UK [Emergency Planning Management Officer; ]
Department of Agriculture, Water & Environment [Bushfire Management; ]
WA Govt [Bushfire Manager; ]
UniSA [Incident Controller; ]
NSW Govt [Incident Controller Checklist; ]
Emergency Management Victoria [Fundamentals; ]
EMPS [Certified Incident Controller Capabilities - PDF; Professional Standards; ]
Your Career [Emergency Service Worker; ]