AESM Vol 24; Issue 3, 2021

NEW AUSTRALIAN CLIMATE SERVICE 

leading knowledge agencies welcome the SERVICE THAT WILL SUPPORT 

COMMUNITIES TO ANTICIPATE, MANAGE & ADAPT TO RISK OF NATURAL DISASTERS 

VOL 24: ISSUE 3, 2021

Let’s BE 

COVIDSAFE 

together 

We need to all keep making COVIDSafe 

choices to help stop the spread. 

• Keep physical distancing in public spaces. 

• Wear a mask when needed. 

• Practise good hygiene. 

• Protect others and stay at home if you’re unwell. If you’re 

experiencing cold or flu-like symptoms get tested for COVID-19. 

• Have the COVIDSafe app. 

Together let’s keep going and stay safe. 

Visit health.gov.au for more information, or call 

the National Coronavirus Helpline on 1800 020 080. 

For translating and interpreting services call 131 450. 

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FEATURE 

CONTENTS 

FEATURE 

INDIGENOUS 

COMMUNITIES 

LEADING THE 

WAY WITH 

NEW NATURAL 

HAZARDS 

TRAINING 

23 

Australia Has A New 

Climate Service 

Australia’s top science 

and statistical agencies 

welcome the news 

from the Australian 

government about 

funding for this world 

leading climate service. 

19 

FEATURE 

Proceed to Your 

Nearest (Virtual) 

Exit 

Gaming technology 

is informing us about 

how people respond to 

emergencies and is a 

useful tool for disaster 

safety research. 

11 

The Right To 

Disconnect 

Author of ‘The Health 

Hazard’, Alison 

Coughlan discusses the 

concept of burnout and 

how we need to stop 

pushing emergency 

service workers to the 

brink. 

35 

31 

Watson the Wellness 

Dog 

Watson the Wellness 

Dog is helping paramedic 

students hit the ‘paws’ 

on stress at Edith Cowan 

University, demonstrating 

the many benefits of 

therapy dogs. 

www.ausemergencyservices.com.au 

Special Operation 

Ironside 

A look at what has been 

called the most significant 

police operation in 

Australian history. 

The development of a 

world-leading capability 

to see encrypted 

communications led to a 

very real interception of 

organised crime. 

37

THE REGULARS 

• Editor’s Note 

3 

• Recent Events 

Surf Life Saving Wa Annual Awards 

Experts gather to discuss family violence 

CFA Heroes recieve ASFM honours 

Emergency Services Blood Challenge 

• Emergency Law with Dr Michael Eburn 

• Let’s Talk Mental Health with A/Prof Erin Cotter- Smith 

• On the Frontline - Challenging Hierarchical Divide 

• In the Spotlight - DCO Alen ‘Slipper’ Slijepcevic 

• Emergency Breaks - Adelaide - South Australia 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

15 

29 

40 

43 

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to date on all the latest 

emergency services news 

on the website PLUS have 

access to the magazine via 

our dedicated App on both 

Apple IOS and Google 

Android platforms 

LET’S TALK MENTAL HEALTH 

Associate Professor Erin Cotter-Smith 

Course Coordinator of the School of 

Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan 

University. Research Consultant at The 

Code 9 Foundation. 

EMERGENCY LAW 

Dr Michael Eburn - PHD, Barrister 

and leading expert in law relating to 

emergency management & emergency 

services. 

ON THE FRONTLINE 

An Insight into the World of Paramedicine 

with Rasa Piggott, Registered Paramedic, 

Nurse and Lecturer in Paramedicine at 

Australian Catholic University. 

MAGAZINE CONTACTS 

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IN THE SPOTLIGHT 

EMERGENCY BREAKS 

Each edition features a 

profile on a person, team, 

partnership, squad or unit 

to showcase their unique 

contribution to the Emergency 

Services industry. 

Explore local surrounds, or 

new places that are only a 

short plane trip or drive away, 

so you can maximise every 

minute of those days when 

your name doesn’t appear 

next to a call sign on the roster 

Scan Me 

to download the AESM App 

www.ausemergencyservices.com.au

EDITOR’S NOTE 

What better way to spend a cold winter’s morning than rugged up 

with a warm drink and a good read! Thank goodness for the latest 

edition of the Australian Emergency Services Magazine! 

We would like to take the opportunity to thank all of our contributors 

that make AESM what it is. Dr Michael Eburn, Associate Professor 

Erin Cotter-Smith, the Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC and 

Paramedic, Tammie Bullard. The regular submissions from these 

incredible experts in their field make every edition relevant, 

informative and offer a voice from different sectors within such a vast 

industry. Unfortunately Tammie’s column has come to an end as she 

moves on into a new leadership role within emergency response. 

Her column, ‘The Good, The Bad, The Ugly - Paramedic’, was an 

excellent resource for all current and student paramedics. Thank 

you Tammie for the passion and care you brought to AESM and we 

wish you every success in your new role. 

Never fear however, we have not lost our paramedic voice. In this 

edition we are excited to welcome Rasa Piggott to our contributing 

team. Rasa will be contributing her insights into the world of 

paramedicine with her new column “On the Frontline”. Rasa is a 

paramedic, registered nurse and lecturer in Paramedicine at the 

Australian Catholic University in Canberra. Her knowledge and 

experience as a paramedic and educator will make this new column 

a must read as she delves into the current issues that are facing this 

profession. 

And of course a big thank you to our readership and emergency 

service organisations that offer up the latest news and the stories of 

the incredible people that work in the emergency services industry. 

Our “In the Spotlight” column is always a difficult choice as there are 

so many amazing stories to choose from. In this edition we have 

featured DCO Alen ‘Slipper’ Slijepcevic who was recently recognised 

for his service with an Australian Fire Service Medal, announced 

as part of the Queen’s Birthday 2021 Honours List. His story of 

passion and dedication to the industry over the last 30 years makes 

for a great read. Congratulations Alen on the recognition for your 

outstanding achievements. 

Stay warm and safe, 

Bianca Peterson 

Editor in Chief 

www.ausemergencyservices.com.au 

DISCLAIMER 

The Australian Emergency Services Magazine 

is a community educational resource 

publication and does not promote itself 

as a charity or fund raising institution, nor 

solicit on behalf of charities and is no way 

financially supported by or associated with 

any government or similar institution. 

Distribution of the publication is Bi-Monthly 

and is circulated via a database of interested 

parties, including business, subscribers, 

advertisers, volunteer organisations, 

emergency service sectors, emergency 

and disaster management, government, 

universities, TAFE and council libraries. A 

print and digital magazine is distributed to a 

targeted database in each State & Territory. 

Every effort is made to ensure that material 

presented in the Australian Emergency 

Services Magazine was correct at the time of 

printing and is published in good faith, no 

responsibility or liability will be accepted by 

Boothbook Media. 

The views and opinions expressed are 

not necessarily those of Boothbook 

Media and its employees. The content of 

any advertising or promotional material 

contained within the Australian Emergency 

Services Magazine is not necessarily an 

endorsement by Boothbook Media. 

Published by Boothbook Media 

ABN:72 605 987 031 

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WANT TO CONTRIBUTE? 

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and relevant content that 

our readers will enjoy. If you 

would like to be featured in 

the magazine there are many 

options. You may have a story 

you would like to share, or 

perhaps be featured in our “In 

the Spotlight” regular column. 

Please submit all articles or 

expressions of interest to the 

Editor for consideration at: 

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Articles should be no more than 

1000 words and be relevant 

to the content within the 

Australian Emergency Services 

Magazine. 

3 


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RECENT EVENTS 

AN EXCEPTIONAL YEAR CELEBRATED AT SURF LIFE SAVING 

WA’S ANNUAL AWARDS 

Surf Life Saving Western Australia 

(SLSWA) capped off another 

successful year as they recognised 

the efforts of their members at 

the annual Awards of Excellence at 

Crown Perth on Saturday night. 

With more than 520 attendees 

representing WA’s 31 surf life saving 

clubs, corporate and government 

partners, and guests, SLSWA 

President Craig Smith-Gander 

paid tribute to the more than 

23,700 members who dedicate 

their weekends and holidays to the 

movement. 

“These people are the everyday 

heroes of our beaches, all of whom 

commit countless hours of service 

to uphold our mission of saving lives 

and building great communities,” 

said Mr Smith-Gander. 

“Tonight, is about celebrating the 

volunteers who are the lifeblood of 

this great movement.” 

Trigg Island Surf Life Saving Club 

(SLSC) had an outstanding evening, 

taking out seven of the top gongs, 

including the coveted Lavan Club of 

the Year title, along with a cheque for 

$10,000. 

Three of Trigg Island’s wins were 

thanks to star athlete Will Savage who 

was named Youth Athlete of the Year, 

Bernie Kelly Medallist and was one 

half of the duo named Surf Sports 

Team of the Year with fellow club 

mate Patrick Eley. 

In his last year as a youth-aged 

athlete, Will proved he is a force to 

be reckoned with. His 19 medals at 

the SunSmart WA Surf Life Saving 

Championships in March, including 

14 gold, secured him the Bernie 

Kelly Medal for top athlete of the 

Championships. His Youth Athlete 

of the Year title came courtesy of an 

outstanding season that saw him 

named WA Ironman Series Open 

Champion, SunSmart WA Surf League 

Open Champion, selected in the 

Western Suns state representative 

team, and an eighth-place finish in 

the inaugural Nutri-Grain Next Gen 

Ironman Series for under 19 athletes, 

held in Queensland in February. 

Fremantle SLSC took out two major 

awards, including Patrol Club of the 

Year for the second time in three 

years, while member Jay Morgan 

who stepped up to fill the Club 

Captain role at Fremantle, took out 

the prestigious Lifesaver of the Year 

award. 

Regionally, Albany SLSC was a 

standout with two awards. Member 

Byron Bird was recognised as the 

Support Operations Volunteer 

of the Year as a key member of 

the local Wesfarmers Emergency 

Response Jet Ski Team, involved in 

a number of emergency response 

missions; and Jeff Medcalf, who was 

awarded Assessor of the Year for his 

impressive leadership of the club’s 

education team. 

The winners of the following awards 

will go on to represent WA at the 

Surf Life Saving Australia Awards of 

Excellence later this year: Community 

Program, Official, Coach, Athlete, 

Trainer, Assessor, Youth Lifesaver, 

Lifesaver, Volunteer and Lavan Club 

of the Year. 

5 


RECENT EVENTS 

EXPERTS GATHER 

TO DISCUSS 

DOMESTIC AND 

FAMILY VIOLENCE 

POLICING 

More than 130 of the Queensland 

Police Service’s (QPS) domestic and 

family violence specialists came 

together in Brisbane last week to 

discuss the latest research and 

response to one of the most complex 

issues experienced in our society. 

The three day Vulnerable Persons 

Policing Conference, the first of its 

kind under the QPS’ new Domestic, 

Family Violence and Vulnerable 

Persons (DFV&VP) Command, will 

feature domestic and family violence 

leaders from around Australia 

including DV Connect, Red Rose 

Foundation, Queensland University of 

Technology, University of Wollongong, 

New South Wales Police Force and 

Victoria Police. 

Assistant Commissioner Brian 

Codd said the conference was a 

chance for the officers to hear from 

academics, service providers, other 

police jurisdictions and their peers 

to discuss the complexities and best 

practice response to domestic and 

family violence. 

“Domestic and family violence is an 

incredibly complex issue and the 

role the QPS plays in responding 

to these incidents is examined with 

great interest both internally and 

externally,” Assistant Commissioner 

Codd said. 

“As we talk more openly about this 

issue, we are seeing the demand 

increase. Last year, the QPS 

responded to more than 107,000 

occurrences – that’s one every five 

minutes – and we are now estimating 

that around 40 per cent of a front 

line officer’s time is spent attending 

to jobs that encompass elements of 

domestic and family violence. 

“Events like this are so important, 

as they present an opportunity for 

us to come together and hear from 

leading academics and DFV experts 

to discuss the latest research and 

look at what we can do as a service 

to enhance our response and ensure 

that victims are at the forefront.” 

Assistant Commissioner Codd said 

the DFV&VP Command was focused 

on continually learning to identify 

ways that the QPS can best respond 

to and prevent DFV within the 

community. 

“We have connections with some 

incredible experts who are on the 

front line of this issue from a policing, 

academic and victim support point of 

view,” he said. 

“This is a very complicated and 

constantly evolving issue that affects 

so many in our community, so it’s 

very important for our officers to 

be able to hear directly about the 

latest research, initiatives and best 

practice when it comes to responding 

to incidents, supporting victims and 

holding perpetrators to account. 

“As a Service, we are absolutely 

committed to continuous learning 

in this space and this conference 

is just one of the ways that we are 

doing this. We are always proactively 

reviewing processes and procedures 

to ensure our response protects 

victims and holds perpetrators to 

account. 

“I am very proud of the work of our 

officers and to work alongside some 

incredible leaders in this space to 

prevent, disrupt, respond to and 

investigate domestic and family 

violence.” 

www.ausemergencyservices.com.au 6

RECENT EVENTS 

GARY COOK 

ACFO Peter Baker 

Stephen Walls 

Brian Petrie 

LESLEY READ 

CFA HEROES RECEIVE 

AFSM HONOURS 

PETER SOLLY 

Some of CFA’s most experienced and 

distinguished CFA members have been 

awarded the Australian Fire Services 

Medal (AFSM) in recognition of their 

outstanding service to the community 

when the 2021 Queen’s Birthday Honours 

List was announced. 

With more than 250 years of combined 

service between them, CFA’s seven 

recipients have contributed across 

bushfire management and community 

fire preparedness, incident management 

and operational command, training and 

development, and welfare and wellbeing. 

The recipients hold experience with CFA 

during some of the state’s most severe 

disasters including Black Saturday, Ash 

Wednesday and the 2019/20 bushfire 

season, as well as making contributions 

and positive change to their local 

community and the wider organisation. 

This year’s Queen’s Birthday Honours 

List include two of CFA’s highest-ranking 

firefighters, Deputy Chief Officers Alen 

Slijepcevic and Garry Cook, who have 

been commended for their contributions 

to bushfire management, incident 

management and firefighters’ welfare and 

wellbeing. 

The 2021 CFA Australian Fire Service 

Medal recipients also include: 

Peter Baker, Grovedale, for more than 

50 years of dedicated and exceptional 

services to CFA, initially as a volunteer 

and since 1983 as a staff member, where 

he has made a significant contribution 

to improved community safety and 

emergency management in Victoria. 

Brian Petrie, Gembrook, for his 

exceptional dedication and leadership 

throughout more than 50 years as a 

volunteer and as a career staff member, 

where he has distinguished himself as an 

outstanding leader, trainer and mentor. 

Lesley Read, Seymour, for her contribution 

not only as a volunteer with Hilldene 

Fire Brigade for 18 years, but for her 

dedication to the welfare of all CFA 

members through the Peer Program. 

Peter Solly, Rainbow, for more than 50 

years of sustained exceptional service to 

CFA and the communities of Wimmera 

most notably as Group Officer of the 

Rainbow Group. 

Stephen Walls, Campbells Creek, for his 

exceptional contributions to advancement 

of fire and emergency management for 

more than 40 years. 

CFA Chief Officer Jason Heffernan and CFA 

Chief Executive Officer Natalie MacDonald 

congratulated the deserving recipients 

on their meaningful contributions and 

outstanding achievements. 

“CFA is incredibly proud of its volunteer 

firefighter and operational staff, and it is 

amazing to see some of our members 

recognised with the highest fire service 

medallion in the country for their 

dedication to making Victoria stronger and 

safer,” Chief Officer Heffernan said. 

Ms MacDonald concurred: “We are 

fortunate as an organisation to have so 

many amazing people who devote a large 

part of their life to the protection of lives 

and property in their communities.” 

7 


RECENT EVENTS 

CFA volunteer firefighter Bob Goninon 

has donated close to the equivalent of 

a 600-litre Ultra Light 

Tanker with blood and plasma via the 

Australian Red Cross Lifeblood over 

50-odd years. 

As Bob recently marked 700 donations, 

he urged all CFA members across the 

state – and their friends and family – 

to roll up their sleeves as part of the 

Emergency Services Blood Challenge 

which kicked off on 1 June. 

The Challenge, held annually by 

Australian Red Cross Lifeblood from 1 

June to 31 August, encourages friendly 

competition between emergency 

service workers to join their team and 

donate to win the challenge and, more 

importantly, save lives. 

With 1258 blood and plasma donations 

during the 2020 challenge, CFA 

members came second to Victoria 

Police by only 59 donations and are 

keen to take out top honours this year. 

One in every three Australians will 

need blood or blood products in 

their lifetime, however only one in 30 

Australians donate blood each year. 

For Bob, donating has been a decadeslong 

affair that started with a doctor 

recommending he start donating blood 

to stop his recurring nose bleeds. 

EMERGENCY SERVICES BLOOD 

CHALLENGE 2021 

CFA FIREY KICK-STARTS 

CHALLENGE WITH 700TH DONATION 

Since then, he’s donated at more 

than 20 different donor centres in 

every state and territory in Australia, 

including his 350th donation in 

Darwin, 500th donation in Southport, 

Queensland, and 625th in Lismore, 

NSW. 

He’s one of only seven Victorians who 

has donated 700 times since his first 

donation in 1970. 

“In the beginning I donated whole 

blood four times a year, but then I 

started donating plasma when they 

started doing that,” Bob said. “The 

centrifuge used to separate the 

blood components was bigger than a 

Volkswagen and you sat in a chair for 

up to four hours. ” 

These days, the process itself takes 

only 45 minutes, although a 1.5-hour 

appointment is recommended. 

Bob makes the trip from Eildon to 

Ringwood every fortnight to donate 

and while it’s a substantial time 

commitment, it’s one that is now part 

of his life. 

“I guess it gets in your blood, pardon 

the pun,” he laughed, but adds there is 

a serious element to his commitment. 

“Anyone in an emergency services 

organisation has come across 

situations where trauma has occurred 

and understands that volunteers are 

needed – if you don’t donate, it’s not 

there,” he said. “One day, I might need 

some myself – or someone in my family 

will.” 

You can register to donate at lifeblood. 

com.au. 


AUSTRALIAN EMERGENCY LAW with Dr Michael Eburn 

A DISCUSSION ON 

THE LAW THAT 

APPLIES TO OR 

AFFECTS AUSTRALIA’S 

EMERGENCY SERVICES 

AND EMERGENCY 

MANAGEMENT 

DELEGATING HEALTH 

CARE DECISION MAKING 

April 26th, 2021 

Today’s correspondent says: 

In some cultures, it is the “done thing” for relatives to make the decisions 

on behalf of family members. Obviously in our western self-autonomy 

driven society we encourage our patients to make decisions for themselves 

regarding their own healthcare. However, what is the legal perspective where 

a patient who is deemed to have capacity states that they wish for their 

family member to make the decision on their behalf? 

PHD 

Barrister 

Leading expert in Law 

relating to Emergency 

Management & Emergency 

Services 

Follow Michael Eburn 

Facebook- facebook.com/ 

EburnM/ 

Twitter - @EburnM 

For his latest articles on 

Emergency Law go to: 

www.emergencylaw.wordpress.com 

Follow Michael’s podcast at your 

favourite podcast supplier or head to 

https://anchor.fm/michael-eburn 

I’m going to assume we’re talking 

about situations where the patient 

is competent (in which case power 

under substitute decision making 

law – eg as guardian or ‘person 

responsible’ won’t apply) and I will 

assume there is no advance directive 

in place. If those things are in place 

or the patient is not competent then 

it’s a different scenario. I infer that 

the key to this question is where a 

competent person defers decision 

making to others. 

This is a difficult question and I 

confess I’ve grappled with what I 

think the answer is. Having argued 

in my head both for and against 

the right to delegate, my reaction 

is that the law in Australia requires 

a competent patient to make their 

own decision. A patient can of 

course seek advice from others 

and can act in accordance with that 

advice. So they may ask the relative 

‘what do you think’ and the answer 

can, without being undue influence, 

influence their decision. 

Equally they could say ‘I cannot 

decide, you decide’ but if I was 

a treating practitioner and the 

nominated delegate made a 

decision, I would want the patient to 

confirm that it is indeed their own 

decision. As has been noted elsewhere 

in this blog, medical decision must be 

preceded by the patient’s consent, not 

someone else’s consent. 

Where a patient purports to delegate 

to another there is an issue of ‘undue 

influence’. In In Re T [1992] EWCA Civ 18 

Staughton LJ said (at [57]): 

In order for an apparent consent or 

refusal of consent to be less than a 

true consent or refusal, there must be 

such a degree of external influence as 

to persuade the patient to depart from 

her own wishes, to an extent that the 

law regards it as undue. I can suggest 

no more precise test than that. 

The critical test is what is the person’s 

own wishes. There is a risk that a 

person delegates to another out of 

fear or if it is true that culturally it is the 

‘done thing’ but that does not mean 

that the decision is their ‘own’ wish 

which is the critical issue. The patient 

could endorse the delegate’s decision 

by confirming it or acting accordingly 

eg if they cooperate with treatment 

consented to by the delegate then

there would be an implied consent 

from the patient. But if there was any 

indication that they were unhappy with 

the decision made by the delegate 

then as a practitioner I would want to 

confirm what their own wishes were. 

People can delegate decision making 

to others eg by executing an enduring 

power of attorney or medical authority 

(called different things in different 

jurisdictions) but these generally need 

to be witnessed and the patient needs 

to be assessed by a doctor or lawyer on 

their competence and understanding. 

Allowing them to delegate at the scene 

does not carry those safeguards. 

Further those powers only apply when 

the person is not competent which 

is not the scenario under discussion. 

Equally provisions allowing a person 

responsible to make decisions apply 

when a patient is not competent and 

there are various steps that need to 

be flowed that are not applicable in 

paramedic practice (see for example 

Guardianship Act 1987 (NSW) s 40 

‘Consents given by persons responsible 

for patients’). Given the formality and 

limited application of those procedures 

I don’t see how merely saying ‘Let 

person y decide’ would constitute the 

patient’s effective consent. 

A person may want to delegate 

to another because the pressure 

of making a decision is too hard 

or because they cannot take into 

account the information that is being 

given, in which case the patient is not 

competent. A relative can give context 

to the patient’s circumstances and help 

a practitioner determine what is in the 

patient’s best interest but I don’t think 

they can actually make a decision for 

the patient – see Third party refusing 

treatment (March 23, 2016). 

Conclusion 

I don’t think a competent patient 

can delegate decision making to 

another person. They can seek advice 

from another person, they can even 

invite the other person to decide. If 

that person – the delegate – makes 

a decision then if I was a treating 

practitioner I would want to confirm 

that with the patient along with 

providing advice on what that means. 

If the decision is to accept treatment 

that the practitioner is offering there is 

little issue. If the decision is to refuse 

that treatment then as a practitioner I 

would want to ensure that the patient 

understood that it was their decision, 

that if they wanted to go along with the 

decision made by the ‘relative’ that they 

did so of their own free will and not 

out of a feeling of compulsion and that 

they understood the consequences. If 

they did they have not ‘delegated’ the 

decision even if their choice is to go 

along with the decision their nominated 

delegate made. But at the end of the 

day I think it has to be the patient’s 

decision. 

This article originally appeared on the 

blog Australian Emergency Law (https:// 

emergencylaw.wordpress.com/) and is reproduced 

with the permission of the author. 

As a blog post it represents the author’s opinion 

based on the law at the time it was written. 

The blog, or this article, is not legal advice and 

cannot be relied upon to determine any person’s 

legal position. How the law applies to any 

specific situation or event depends on all the 

circumstances. 

If you need to determine legal rights and 

obligations with respect to any event that has 

happened, or some action that is proposed, 

you must consult a lawyer for advice based on 

the particular circumstances. Trade unions, 

professional indemnity insurers and community 

legal centres can all be a source for initial legal 

advice. 


Proceed to your nearest (virtual) exit: 

gaming technology is teaching us how 

people respond to emergencies 

Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) 

aren’t just for gaming anymore, they’re also 

proving to be useful tools for disaster safety 

research. In fact, they could save lives. 

Around the world, natural and human-made disasters 

such as earthquakes, bushfires and terrorist attacks 

threaten substantial economic loss and human life. 

My research review looked at 64 papers on the topic of 

using AR and VR-based experiments (mostly simulating 

emergency scenarios) to investigate human behaviour 

during disaster, provide disaster-related education and 

enhance the safety of built environments. 

If we can investigate how certain factors influence 

people’s decisions about the best course of action 

during disaster, we can use this insight to further 

construct an array of VR and AR experiments. 

Finding the optimal fire design 

Research has shown the potential of AR and VR in 

myriad disaster contexts. Both of these technologies 

involve digital visualisation. VR involves the 

visualisation of a complete digital scene, whereas AR 

allows digital objects to be superimposed over a reallife 

background. 

VR has already played a key role in designing 

safety evacuation systems for new buildings and 

infrastructure. For example, in past research my 

colleagues and I have used VR to identify which 

signage is the best to use in tunnels and buildings 

during emergency evacuations. 

In these studies we asked participants to rank 

different signs using a questionnaire based on the 

“theory of affordances”, which looks at what the 

physical environment or a specific object offers an 

individual. In other words, we explored how different 

signs can be sensed, understood and used by 

different people during emergencies. 

Before building expensive new infrastructure, we 

can simulate it in VR form and test how different

This figure helps explain the difference between VR, AR and the real world. Ruggiero Lovreglio, Author provided 

evacuation signage performs for participants. In the case 

of signage for tunnel exits, research showed: 

— green or white flashing lights performed better than 

blue lights 

—a flashing rate of one flash per second or four flashes 

per second is recommended over a slower rate of, say, 

one flash per four seconds. 

— LED light sources performed better than single and 

double-strobe lights. 

In another non-immersive VR study, we observed 

participants’ behaviours and identified which sign was the 

best to direct people away from a specific exit in case of 

an emergency (as that exit might lead towards a fire, for 

instance). 

The results showed red flashing lights helped evacuees 

identify the sign, and the sign itself was most effective with 

a green background marked with a red “X”. 

VR and AR are uniquely positioned to let experts study 

how humans behave during disasters — and to do so 

without physically harming anyone. 

From Pokemon Go to earthquake drills 

Research projects have tested how AR superimpositions 

can be used to guide people to safety during a tsunami 

warning or earthquake. 

In theory, the same approach could be used in other 

contexts, such as during a terror attack. AR applications 

could be built to teach people how 

to act in case of terror attacks by 

following the rule of escape, hide and 

tell, as advised by the government. 

A green background marked with a red ‘x’. Joakim Olander (2015), Author provided 

Such virtual applications have great 

potential to educate thousands of 

people quickly and inexpensively. Our 

latest VR study indicated this may 

make them preferable to traditional 

training. 

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13 


In some of our experiments, several participants were 

immersed in simulated fire emergencies where they had 

to evacuate. We investigated the factors that influenced 

how participants navigated a space to reach an exit, and 

how they chose between several exits in different fire and 

social conditions. 

Studies on this front have highlighted humans are social 

animals. In line with “social influence theory”, they tend to 

follow other people during emergencies. This is a crucial 

consideration for authorities tasked with designing or 

implementing disaster evacuation protocols. 

Another common behaviour observed was that 

participants tended to use exits they were already familiar 

with. 

While these findings aren’t necessarily surprising, they 

help confirm existing theories about public evacuation 

behaviours. They also help reinforce observations made 

during real-life evacuation scenarios — where human lives 

can hang in the balance. 

The next challenge is to ensure that in the future, 

advanced AR and VR-based training applications do not 

traumatise or distress participants. 

A VR simulation of a metro station, used in one of our research studies. 

Ruggiero Lovreglio, Author provided 

The myth of overwhelming panic 

It’s worth noting that in the experiments there were no 

signs of “panic” among participants. Indeed, research has 

shown feeling panicked is very rare in fire scenarios. 

Rather, participants took several factors into account 

before choosing what they deemed was the best option. 

Generally, people in disaster situations try hard to choose 

the most reasonable option; whether it leads to danger is 

another matter. 

Our research can help enhance the safety design of 

buildings, transport terminals and general evacuation 

protocols. In the meantime, it’s reassuring to know people 

will more or less rely on their rationality in emergency 

situations. 

This article was first published on ‘The Conversation’ 

A participant in the CAVE (Cave Automatic Virtual Environment) at Lund 

University, in a VR-based tunnel evacuation experiment. Ruggiero 

Lovreglio, Author provided 

Author: 

Ruggiero Lovreglio 

Senior Lecturer, Massey University 

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Lets Talk Mental 

‘ 

Health 

with Associate Professor 

Erin Cotter-Smith 

WHY DOES EVERYTHING FEEL 

WORSE AT 3:00 A.M.? 

15 


It is 3:00 a.m. and I am wide awake. 

Perhaps the Diet Coke I consumed 

before bed is the culprit. The 

husband and two pugs snoring 

loudly beside me certainly are not 

helping. 

I close my eyes again, desperately 

searching for the relief of sleep. 

But the unwanted thoughts begin 

to scuttle around like gremlins, 

cascading irrationally like they 

so often do under the cover of 

darkness. 

I have a toothache. I think of my 

friend who is a dentist, I have not 

seen her in a long time. Maybe she 

does not like me anymore? Maybe 

none of my friends really like me? Am 

I likeable? Am I a good person? What 

have I done with my life that I can be 

proud of? Was that a twinge in my 

chest? Do I have chest pain? Am I 

having a heart attack? 

What happens next seldom varies. 

I keep flipping into new sleep 

positions, scrunching my pillow 

into different shapes, hoping one 

combination will be the magical 

solution. 

Eventually, I do manage to fall 

asleep— but not until I have stressed 

so much that I awake the following 

day looking like an extra from The 

Walking Dead. 

Why does anxiety feel worse at night? 

Despite how recognisable some 

of this may be for many of us, very 

little is known about why anxiety can 

feel so much worse at night. Some 

research has focused on whether 

anxiety causes sleep disturbances 

and vice versa, but we still do not 

really understand why anxiety tends 

to manifest so much more readily 

once the sun goes down. 

My friend Julie* is 45. She tells me 

that she can regularly get through 

the day without having any issues 

with her anxiety, but as soon as 

she goes to bed, all of her anxiety 

bubbles rise to the surface. 

“I will even have entire arguments 

with my partner in my head, I will end 

up in tears over entire conversations 

that have played out in some 

imagined future,” she shares. “Then 

I wake up the next day feeling 

drained and emotionally wrecked, 

all from something that hasn’t 

actually happened.” 

When we wake in the middle of 

the night with anxiety, one of the 

primary causes can be stress. 

Particularly now, the COVID-19 

pandemic can be causing elevated 

levels of stress and concern, with 

many of us dealing with instability 

and changes to routine. 

Interestingly, some research 

actually shows that our worries are 

almost primed to reach a fever pitch 

overnight, with activity in our brain’s 

frontal lobe—the area responsible 

for rational thinking—dialling down 

overnight. 

So, when we are feeling stressed, 

this can feel worse at night when 

our nice, calm rational thinking 

brain is down for the count, and 

the anxiety gremlins are up and 

partying. When these irrational 

thoughts begin to take hold, the 

body can begin to prime itself for a 

fight-or-flight response, which often 

causes an adrenaline rush, making 

it even more tricky to get back to 

sleep! 

How can we banish the 3:00 a.m. 

gremlins? 

Practicing mindfulness can help 

improve sleep quality and reduce 

symptoms of insomnia and anxiety. 

Mindfulness meditation appears to 

improve sleep quality. Exercise also 

promotes good sleep quality and 

how much sleep you get. Improving 

sleep hygiene habits, which includes 

going to bed and waking up at a 

consistent time daily, can also help 

boot those 3:00 a.m. gremlins to the 

curb. 

Journaling can also be a useful 

“worry control procedure”. At 

least two hours before bedtime, 

make time to sit down and write 

down your worries in a journal. 

This process allows us to get these 

thoughts out and work through 

them earlier in the day when the 

rational part of our brain is still 

cranking! A useful part of this 

journaling process is writing down 

concrete steps you will take to deal 

Associate Professor 

Erin Cotter-Smith 

PhD, MPH, MClinEpi 

Course Coordinator 

School of Medical and 

Health Sciences 

Edith Cowan University 

with any worries before you go to 

sleep. 

Still waking up and feeling stressed 

and anxious? 

You are not alone – those gremlins 

can be persistent. 

It is all about how you talk to 

yourself. If you are feeling anxious 

about the problems you have 

journaled about earlier in the day, 

remind yourself that you have 

already thought about this problem, 

it is safely tucked away in your 

worry journal with some concrete 

action items already planned. 

If it is a “new” worry, or an irrational 

gremlin that has crept in, the 

way we talk to ourselves is still 

important. Try to cut back on the 

negative inner chatter that tends to 

go on at 3:00 a.m. and instead, have 

some positive affirmations that 

you can throw back at the anxiety 

monster. Yes – I AM a pretty good 

person. 

And no, I was not having a heart 

attack. But I do still have a tooth 

ache. 

Which reminds me, I wonder if my 

friend still likes me?

BEGA VALLEY BUSHFIRE RECOVERY JAN 2020 

DISASTER RELIEF 

AUSTRALIA RETURNS 

TO ASSIST AUSTRALIAN 

COMMUNITIES STILL 

RECOVERING FROM 

THE BLACK SUMMER 

BUSHFIRES 

he 2019/20 Black Summer bushfires are known by 

Australians as the worst fire season in history. The 

Tdestructive effects of the fires have persisted many months 

after. Further disaster events and ongoing COVID restrictions 

have left communities broken and vulnerable. Veteran and 

emergency service specialist-led organisation Disaster Relief 

Australia (DRA) remains committed to providing hope and help to 

those on their worst day. 

On 29 May, DRA deployed a six-week bushfire recovery 

operation to the Bega Valley Shire. The region was decimated 

with fires scorching 58% of the Shire during the mega fire that 

blazed uncontrollably from New Year’s Eve 2019 for 65 days. 

The destruction included 4 lives lost, 465 homes destroyed, 

and countless damages sustained to buildings, properties and 

livelihood. 

BEGA VALLEY BUSHFIRE RECOVERY JUNE 2021 

The widespread emergence of COVID-19 occurred just days after 

the fires were contained. DRA was forced to withdraw critical 

bushfire recovery services from multiple locations around the 

country including Cobargo in the NSW Bega Valley Shire. The 

Shire has not been able to receive necessary assistance due to 

the pandemics ongoing restrictions. 

DRA’s volunteer disaster relief teams will bring vital bushfire 

recovery to Bega residents still suffering the destructive effects of 

the Black Summer bushfires. Real hands-on help will include tree 

felling, fence clearing/repairs and debris removal. 

Built to serve 

The national volunteer workforce is built to serve. DRA volunteer 

Davina Pye (veteran and firefighter) says “After deploying 

overseas, I was at a bit of a loss. I was surprised and happy at 

how quickly I felt at home within DRA. The feeling of being able 

to help someone on their worst day and make it just that little 

bit better is amazing and what keeps me coming back.” Veteran 

Guy Sadler continues “We get out there and make a difference. 

People get involved in a service lifestyle because they like to 

serve. DRA is a follow on from that mentality”. 

DAMAGE ASSESSMENT BUSHFIRE RECOVERY WA 

During the first six months of 2021, DRA has stood up their 

seventh Disaster Relief Team in Perth in response to the 

Wooroloo/Gidgegannup bushfires, provided flood relief to the

AERIAL DAMAGE ASSESSMENT BUSHFIRE RECOVERY WA 

NSW mid-north coast and is now back in Bega Valley providing 

bushfire recovery to residents still at a loss after Black Summer. 

DRA CEO Geoff Evans says “Disasters are more frequent and 

more intense and for those affected deeply personal. We’re 

determined to bring help where it’s needed most despite the 

challenges of deploying our volunteer workforce nationally during 

COVID restrictions.” 

The effects of the fires continue to linger on many months after. 

Many residents are still living in rough conditions. Caravans are 

the norm. The Shire was the worst hit economically (both directly 

and indirectly) in the region. Ongoing assistance is required to 

restore livelihoods and bring much needed support and hope. 

DRA has received and managed requests for assistance from 

agencies including National Bushfire Recovery Agency, Service 

NSW, NSW Department of Primary Industries and Cobargo 

Bushfire Recovery Centre. Residents will be aided throughout 

the entire Bega Valley Shire with work to be undertaken in 

Bega, Eden and Kiah in the south of the Shire and then Yowrie, 

Cobargo, Quaama, in the north of the Shire. 

Need for Community Resilience 

DRA completely appreciates there is an ongoing need to build 

resilience in communities. Vulnerable Australian communities 

are increasingly battling fire and flood. Nearly half of Australia’s 

population live in regions with only low to moderate levels of 

disaster resilience. In partnership with the Minderoo Foundation, 

DRA plans to grow the numbers of volunteers able to adapt and 

plan during disaster offseason. 

CEO Geoff Evans states “We know that disasters will be more 

frequent and more intense. We need to lead the way in 

showing communities how to help themselves. Our veteran and 

emergency services led workforce will be instrumental in training 

hundreds of volunteers in disaster resilience.” 

DRA has also launched a national recruitment campaign to entice 

more members of the emergency services and first responder 

community to join their ranks. 

To join or find out more about Disaster Relief Australia visit: www. 

disasterreliefaus.org/volunteer-er/ 


Australia’s top science and 

statistical agencies welcome 

world-leading climate service 

Australia’s leading knowledge 

agencies have welcomed the 

Commonwealth Government’s 

$209 million announcement for 

a new Australian Climate Service 

that will support better and 

faster decision making to ensure 

communities, infrastructure, and 

businesses are safe, secure and 

resilient in the face of natural 

hazards. 

The new Service – which brings 

together world-leading expertise 

from the Bureau of Meteorology 

(the Bureau), Geoscience Australia, 

CSIRO, and the Australian Bureau 

of Statistics (ABS) – will support 

communities and business to 

better anticipate, manage and 

adapt to the risks that a changing 

climate will bring. 

The Australian Climate Service 

will initially focus on supporting 

Emergency Management Australia 

and the Government’s new 

National Recovery and Resilience 

Agency. 

The Bureau’s CEO and Director 

of Meteorology, Dr Andrew 

Johnson, said the announcement is 

significant for all Australians. 

“We know just how devastating 

natural hazard events have been 

for communities all around the 

country over recent years. From 

the Black Summer bushfires 

and large-scale smoke events to 

devastating tropical cyclones and 

floods. 

“We also know that with our 

changing climate, these events are 

likely to become more intense and 

impactful in future.

“The new Australian Climate Service 

will help Australians better prepare 

for natural disasters well before they 

occur, by not just looking days ahead 

but years and decades. It will also 

enhance the Australian Government’s 

response during times of extreme 

weather, letting the community know 

much earlier what is coming, what’s 

in its way, how it will be affected and 

the consequences of that for the 

businesses and households.” 

Geoscience Australia Chief Executive 

Officer Dr James Johnson said the 

partnership was an exciting first for 

the country. 

“This new capability will enable 

enhanced decision making for 


and the new National Recovery and 

Resilience Agency. 

‘The Australian Climate Service will 

generate new information and insights 

that are required to understand future 

climate and natural hazard threats 

and ensure better decisions are being 

made on things like how to build and 

where.” 

“Through this ground-breaking 

partnership we will work with 


and the new National Recovery and 

Resilience Agency to provide data 

and intelligence to support each 

phase of the emergency management 

continuum; Prevention, Preparedness, 

Response and Recovery.” 

CSIRO’s Chief Executive Dr 

Larry Marshall welcomed the 

announcement from Government 

and said the establishment of the 

partnership would bring big benefits 

to industry, as well as first line 

responders and local communities 

across Australia. 

“We have a deluge of data, but by 

turning it into insights, this will lead to 

tangible actions that benefit Australia. 

By quantifying the real risks for our 

people, industries, infrastructure, and 

supply chains, we can get ahead of 

what is coming next and be ready to 

meet it head on. 

“It will enable us to prepare better, 

to support communities across the 

country, and get back to business 

faster. Solutions from science will build 

the resilience of Australia’s economy 

to natural hazards in the future,” said 

Dr Marshall. 

Australian Statistician Dr David Gruen 

said the partnership will create new 

knowledge to support Australia’s 

response to natural hazards. 

“The Australian Climate Service will 

enable us to combine ABS data with 

critical weather, climate and hazard 

information in new ways. It will give 

our customers faster access to 

information on the characteristics 

of households and businesses 

across Australia to deliver a step 

change in emergency management 

preparedness, response and recovery 

activities. This is an exciting step for 

Australia.” 

The service, which will formally 

commence operating on 1 July 2021, 

will inform emergency management 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

21 


preparedness, response, recovery and 

reconstruction activities for bushfire, 

flood, heatwave, tropical cyclones, 

severe weather (such as thunder and 

hailstorms), large-scale smoke events, 

earthquake and tsunami. 

The Australian Climate Service 

partners 

The service is a partnership made up 

of experts from our top knowledgebased 

institutions. Each partner brings 

unique, world-class expertise and 

capability to the partnership. 

The Bureau of Meteorology is the 

coordinating partner, and brings 

weather and climate advice, a strong 

national presence, and secure, 

reliable, and trusted systems. 

Geoscience Australia brings national 

hazard and exposure information, 

and national geospatial and location 

services. 

The Australian Bureau of Statistics 

brings critical social and economic 

information to the partnership, 

enabling a complete picture of the 

vulnerability of geographical locations 

to help prevent or prepare for natural 

hazards. 

CSIRO, as Australia’s national science 

agency, brings its world leading 

science and innovation with a 

focus on climate observations and 

modelling, resilience, adaptation and 

transformation science and practice. 

To find out more about the service 

that Australian Climate Service 

will provide for the benefit of all 

Australians, visit acs.gov.au 

Original article first published on the 

Bureau of Meteorology 

The 

RAILWAY HOTEL 

STRATHMERTON VIC 

www.strathypub.com.au 

03 5874 5203 

37 Main St, Strathmerton VIC 3641 

info@strathypub.com.au 


Indigenous communities 

leading the way with new 

natural hazards training 

Existing natural hazards training is inadequate for remote 

Indigenous communities. New collaborative research 

has worked with Indigenous communities to develop 

training units that support and reinforce land management 

capabilities across northern Australia. 

Bethany Patch 

Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC 

The management of natural hazards in 

northern Australian communities – spanning 

across northern Queensland, Northern 

Territory and northern Western Australia 

– is distinct from management required in 

southern Australian communities. Nearly 

360,000 people, predominantly Indigenous 

Australians, live in communities in northern 

Australia that vary in remoteness from 

‘outer regional’ to ‘very remote’. Bushfire 

damage alone affects an average of 

430,000km 2 of this land each year, while 

floods, cyclones and storms are frequent 

and widespread, disrupting communities 

that are regularly inaccessible by road and 

often more than 150 kilometres from the 

nearest hospital. 

In addition to the specific geographical 

context, there are social and cultural 

contexts to consider that may differ 

from those in southern or less remote 

communities. For example, Indigenous 

communities see fire management and 

the subsequent response from the natural 

environment as intertwined, spiritually and 

physically, where bushfire is often seen 

as the result of immoral fire management 

techniques earlier in the season. Here, 

tailored and culturally sensitive natural 

hazard management – that recognises 

different needs and worldviews – is crucial 

to keeping communities safe. 

Keeping an Indigenous perspective in 

focus 

In recent years, Indigenous land, fire 

and emergency managers in remote 

northern communities expressed concern 

that existing management training was 

inadequate and did not provide culturally 

appropriate strategies to keep communities 

safe. In particular, people involved in hazard 

management felt that training had not 

provided acceptable levels of knowledge 

that an individual or group could effectively 

use to then manage bushfire and other 

hazards at the landscape scale that is more 

often required in the north. 

Through the Bushfire and Natural Hazards 

CRC, this collaborative research has 

helped to directly address these concerns 

by providing practical support and 

reinforcement of capabilities (emerging and 

needed) in remote Indigenous communities 

across the north. 

Led by Stephen Sutton at Charles Darwin 

University, the project prioritised the 

inclusion of Indigenous communities,

Landscape value mapping for hazard assessment being 

conducted in Arnhem Land, Northern Territory. 

Credit: Stephen Sutton, Charles Darwin University

leaders, ranger groups and 

researchers, as well as focusing on 

the social context of the delivery of 

disaster management services for 

remote communities. Importantly, 

this work considered how the power 

imbalances experienced in Indigenous 

communities are constraining the 

development of resilience and trust 

between agencies and community. 

“Most public servants would be familiar 

with a certain ‘Groundhog Day’ feeling, 

when you are challenged to solve 

a long-standing problem within an 

annual budget cycle, so you can’t really 

ever get to the core of the problem 

because you’re just applying bandaids 

or worse, you’re getting it wrong,” 

Stephen said. 

“To avoid this, with respect to 

training for Indigenous people, our 

research focused on asking them 

for their perspectives, their needs 

and, ultimately, their world view on 

managing fire and disasters in their 

communities. It cost a bit more up 

front, but the result is long-term 

sustainable change on the ground. 

We’ve learned a new way to collaborate 

and tackle problems along the way.” 

Through several inclusive workshops 

held in the Northern Territory, including 

with Indigenous communities at Blyth 

River, Malyangarnak, Buluhkarduru 

and Ramingining, Stephen and his 

team developed a new program of 

training units, each subject to detailed 

culturally appropriate evaluations, that 

successfully aligns with the aspirations 

and cultural preconceptions of many 

remote communities. 

The research was all conducted ‘on 

Country’, with family, utilising traditional 

knowledge and acknowledging 

Traditional Owners’ rights and 

responsibilities, while ensuring a focus 

on Indigenous peoples’ connections 

to the land. The materials create 

a narrative of fire and emergency 

management in Australia that 

incorporates the oldest paradigm in 

the world – the land management 

skills and knowledge of Indigenous 

Australians. 

“That’s the real difference from any 

other project that I have seen,” said 

one Elder in Malanganark in East 

Arnhem Land. 

“This one is different, we wanna start 

targeting each clan group, train them 

so they can be strong leaders for 

own family and clan, they can make 

their own emergency plan for their 

community.” 

A collaborative natural hazard 

management training program 

The newly developed program of ten 

training units is designed for delivery at 

the Vocational Education and Training 

(VET) Certificate II level, allowing for 

rapid delivery at a single field school 

over five to ten days. 

Each of the ten units – some new, 

some building on existing training such 

as ranger programs – interweaves 

a set of philosophical and practical 

understandings of landscape 

management from an Indigenous 

perspective. The styles are a blend 

of traditions, including the non- 

Indigenous pedagogy of VET, and the 

Bininj and Yolngu knowledge systems. 

Bininj is the local language term for 

Aboriginal people in western Arnhem 

Land in the Northern Territory, while 

Yolngu is the name of the Aboriginal 

people who live in north eastern 

Arnhem Land.

Above: Nearly 360,000 people, predominantly 

Indigenous Australians, live in communities in 

northern Australia that vary in remoteness from 

‘outer regional’ to ‘very remote’. Nourlangie Rock 

(Burrungkuy) from Nawurlandja Lookout, Kakadu 

National Park, NT. 

Below: Attendees at the pilot for the new 

training program in Malyangarnak, Arnhem 

Land, Northern Territory. Credit: Stephen Sutton, 

Charles Darwin University 

The training program includes the 

following units: 

1. Non-Indigenous and Indigenous 

bushfire and natural hazards 

management principles: 

acknowledging the unique 

Indigenous-led natural hazards 

management regime in the 

north, placing that system 

in the wider context of 

Australia’s and the international 

community’s approach. 

2. Applying Indigenous fire 

management processes in 

north Australian contexts 

(local variant): exploring the 

local traditions and culture 

associated with land, fire and 

natural hazard management, 

which will obviously vary from 

place to place. 

3. Community engagement 

and cultural protocols (local 

variant): connecting existing 

protocols for natural hazards 

management with traditional 

Indigenous cultural norms. 

4. Fire management and the 

law: giving an overview of the 

nature of Australian law and 

its authority, and exploring 

the relevant and appropriate 

legislation that applies to the 

community within which the 

training is being delivered. 

5. Digital mapping tools used in 


management: introducing 

spatial information technology 

through a series of discussions 

and practical exercises using 

current handheld devices and 

computing software. 

6. Apply Standard Operating 

Procedures (SOP): a preliminary 

exploration of the concept 

of SOPs and why they exist, 

with links made to conceptual 

SOPs that exist within the local 

cultural setting. 

7. Participate in debrief (local 

variant): including a session on 

the concept of feedback within 

the Australian natural hazards 

management system and why it 

is important. 

8. Advanced situational awareness 

and dynamic risk assessment 

(local variant): providing 

practical examples of dynamic 

risk assessment and drawing 

out extant examples within the 

local context. 

9. Remote tactical leadership: 

building bridges between the 

non-Indigenous and Indigenous 

leadership protocols, providing 

participants with trajectories for 

developing their own leadership 

styles within the contexts of 

their local communities and 


realities. 

10. Develop operational work 

plans: exposing the reality 

of conducting a program of 

natural hazard preparation and 

mitigation within the context 

of local culture, legislation and 

strategic planning.

The program was rolled out and used 

by experienced members of each 

community, as well as throughout each 

clan to support knowledge sharing and 

intergenerational transfer: the essential 

passing on of traditional knowledge 

from one generation to the next. 

Research workshops and pilot training 

courses have further expanded the 

use of the program, with evaluations 

showing an immediate impact in 

smaller remote communities, where 

locals have requested further training. 

The program has also been shared 

between communities in central and 

western Arnhem Land in the Northern 

Territory, and with many other natural 

hazard and emergency management 

organisations around the country. 

Ken Baulch, the Director of Policy and 

Planning at Bushfires NT, explains how 

important this project has been for the 

development of remote community 

resilience to bushfires and natural 

hazards. 

“By engaging directly with communities, 

including Traditional Owners and 

custodians and their extended families, 

this project has driven a cross-cultural 

understanding of effective leadership 

and decision-making for responding to 

a natural hazard,” he said. 

“This has been done by explicitly 

valuing local, existing knowledge 

and capacity and then seeking to 

enable people to add new knowledge, 

approaches and understandings to 

that existing scaffold.” 

There is also significant potential for 

this program to have an ongoing 

impact beyond north Australia. This 

research highlighted the need to 

change the way fire is managed at a 

landscape level across the country, not 

A leadership workshop taking place in Arnhem Land, Northern Territory. Credit: Stephen 

Sutton, Charles Darwin University 

just in northern Australia. These units – 

and the inclusive, flexible and familybased 

nature with which they were 

created – has the potential to assist in 

developing new understandings and 

capabilities in communities in fireprone 

Australia more generally. 

The CRC acknowledges all the 

Indigenous elders, past and present, 

who have supported this work. The 

form and purpose of the project has 

only been realised as a consequence of 

this support. 

If you would like access to the training 

program materials, please contact the 

CRC at office@bnhcrc.com.au. 

Learn more about the training units 

and the research behind them by 

reading Hazard Note 96: Developing a 

culturally appropriate natural hazards 

training program for Indigenous 

communities at www.bnhcrc.com.au/ 

hazardnotes/96, or visiting the project 

research page at www.bnhcrc.com.au/ 

research/hazardtraining. 

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& Cost Management for the Education sector 

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www.honeywill.com.au 

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An Insight into the World of Paramedicine with Registered 

Paramedic and Lecturer in Paramedicine, Rasa Piggott 

Challenging hierarchical divide: a 

paramedic reality. 

In the late 20th century, the 

aviation industry recognised a 

positive correlation between 

aircraft accidents and co-pilots 

failing to challenge captain-made 

decisions. Realising that steepauthority 

gradients in teams 

engendered human error and 

compromised safety, the aviation 

industry implemented Crew Resource 

Management (CRM) training. 

CRM addresses human factors that 

contribute to team dysfunction and 

thus, risk (i.e., situational awareness, 

decision making, teamwork, 

leadership, coping with stress and 

fatigue management education). 

Understanding that training 

alone would not change industryentrenched 

authoritarian culture, 

aviation also implemented procedural 

disciplinary measures when captains 

failed to listen or act upon the safetyconcern 

of a team member. 

Such changes have allowed aviation 

to forge a mature culture in which 

transparent reporting and learning 

from error is a retributive-free norm. 

Unlike aviation, paramedicine remains 

married to unsafe authoritarian 

gradients. Numerous factors affect a 

person’s position within the hierarchy 

of a team. In paramedicine, these 

include (but are not limited to) sex, 

gender identity, personality, age, 

cultural background, job title and an 

individual’s unregulated control of 

another’s career prospects. 

The authority gradients that these 

realities breed deter paramedics 

from raising patient-safety concerns. 

Additional lack of substantial CRM 

training, non-standardised or nontransparent 

reporting systems, risk of 

post-reporting retribution and ‘blame 

culture’ further preclude humanfactor 

mitigation. 

I was reminded of our industry’s 

lingering obsession with hierarchical 

divide when delivering human-factor 

education to a class of qualified 

paramedics. The lesson’s purpose was 

to discuss the relationship between 

patient safety and flattened authority 

gradients/team inclusivity. The take 

home message: medical error can be 

avoided if all team members feel safe 

to voice perspective and concern. 

I illustrated this concept by using the 

example of resuscitation cessation 

being a team-decision. I was not 

prepared for the backlash I received 

from a leading paramedic class 

member: ‘NO. If I am at a job and I 

want to cease resuscitation, it will be 

my call to make as the senior person.’ 

In that moment, I was transported 

to a case from my past. Newly 

qualified; first on scene at a traumatic 

cardiac arrest. Simultaneous arrival 

of multi-disciplinary personnel was 

29 


followed by quick planning. Absence 

of patient injuries incompatible-withlife 

propelled my advocacy for patient 

extrication and clinical reversal 

of potentially reversible arrest 

causes. Extrication was undertaken; 

resuscitation commenced. A senior 

paramedic crew arrived; one member 

requested resuscitation cessation. My 

concern regarding this decision was 

dismissed. Senior personnel promptly 

departed. I was left to debrief with all 

on scene: police, fire personnel and 

the twenty-odd civilian bystanders 

who required psychological care 

and active link-ins with health 

professionals in lieu of what they’d 

witnessed. 

HOW TO IMPLEMENT GRADED ASSERTIVENESS 

My place as the ‘junior’ paramedic 

was to do as I was told. Presenting 

an alternate opinion (even if that 

opinion was patient advocacy driven 

by evidence base and currency of 

practice) was out-of-line because 

historically, one cannot appear to 

oppose senior instruction. Post 

case, it was recommended that I 

avoid submitting risk-management 

paperwork. 

Over-dominating clinicians, also 

known as ‘toxic captains’, yield 

dysfunctional teams. ‘Toxic captains’ 

tend to not invite or hear team 

opinion, a reality that propagates 

human error and generates poor 

patient outcome. 

A safe healthcare entity ensures 

strongly voiced senior colleagues 

do not silence junior employees, 

and they champion mechanisms for 

blame-free reporting. All paramedics 

can and should speak up if they have 

any patient-care concerns, without 

fear of retribution. 

The human condition renders us 

fallible. Health care professionals 

regularly make mistakes. We will never 

be perfect. We can, however, limit 

human-error induced patient harm 

by creating a safety-fuelled culture 

reflective of aviation. 


HOW WATSON THE WELLNESS DOG 

IS HELPING PARAMEDIC STUDENTS 

PRESS PAWS ON THEIR STRESS 

Dr. Lisa Holmes and Associate Professor Erin Smith 

A 

group of paramedic students are 

gathered outside a lecture theatre at 

Edith Cowan University in Western 

Australia. All have smartphones or computer 

screens at the ready: checking, scrolling, 

clicking, and watching. They are standing 

together; yet they are disconnected. 

Then something changes. 

Watson the wellness dog approaches the 

group, and suddenly, the entire dynamic 

shifts. The students engage, both with Watson 

and each other. The computers get put to the 

side. The smartphones are still in use – but 

now it is to take selfies. 

“Watson helps make connections and 

provide safe spaces for students to talk in,” 

says Watson’s human, Dr. Lisa Holmes from 

Edith Cowan University. “It’s been incredibly 

rewarding to see the impact that he has had 

on the wellbeing of our students.” 

What are therapy dogs? 

It’s no secret that dogs like Watson can be an 

important influence on health and wellbeing, 

with research highlighting how therapy dogs 

can reduce stress and provide a sense of 

connection in difficult situations. 

“It’s important to remember that therapy 

dogs like Watson aren’t service dogs,” says 

Lisa. “A service dog is an assistance dog that 

has been specifically trained to focus its 

attention on its owner to provide individual 

support. Whereas Watson’s role is to 

react and respond to everyone under my 

guidance.” 

Therapy dogs are pets that improve health 

by providing emotional support in a variety 

of settings, including retirement or nursing 

homes, schools, hospice homes, and 

hospitals. They are trained to be gentle, 

patient, calm, and friendly and to accept 

31 


IMAGE CREDIT 

@watsononyourmind 

Instagram

strangers hugging them or petting 

them. 

Therapy dogs are just one type of 

therapy animal. Other pets that can 

be used for emotional support are 

cats, rabbits, birds, horses—even 

llamas and alpacas! 

Therapy dogs like Watson are 

increasingly being used throughout 

educational settings as part of 

something called animal-assisted 

therapy. 

Image: Supplied, Dr. Lisa Holmes 

Therapy dogs in universities 

Given the impact therapy dogs can 

have on student wellbeing, schools 

and universities are increasingly 

adopting therapy dog programs 

as a way of providing social and 

emotional support for students. 

Now, the therapeutic value 

of our relationship with our 

pets, particularly dogs, is being 

increasingly recognised. 

Results from one research study of 

246 university students identified 

that less stress and anxiety and 

more happiness was likely to be 

reported immediately after students 

had spent time during a drop-in 

session with a dog present, when 

compared to a control group of 

students who didn’t spend any time 

with a therapy dog. 

In another study of 300 

undergraduate students conducted 

by Dr. Patricia Pendry, from 

Washington State University, the 

introduction of weekly “soothing” 

sessions with dogs was shown to 

lessen the negative impact of stress. 

“Students most at risk, such as those 

with mental health issues, showed 

the most benefit,” said Dr. Pendry. 

Pressing PAWS on stress for 

Australian paramedic students 

We know that our interactions wi 

th dogs trigger similar neural 

pathways to the parent-baby bond, 

even reducing loneliness and 

depression. Now, new research 

from Edith Cowan University is 

reporting dramatic effects. 

Paramedic student emotional 

wellbeing was found to be 

significantly higher during weeks 

where Watson the wellness dog 

attended lectures. Students 

reported that Watson not only 

improved their personal wellbeing, 

but also enhanced overall student 

connectivity as a group and helped 

provide a sense of belonging within 

the university community. 

Having Watson in attendance on 

campus and in lectures was a 

calming presence. He was reported 

by students to be a “welcome 

distraction” and a means for helping 

students connect and engage with 

each other – both key protective 

factors for student wellbeing and 

mental health. 

Watson’s presence acted as an 

‘ice-breaker’ creating increased 

opportunities for communication 

between students and lecturers, 

which in turn improved a sense of 

belonging within the course and the 

wider university community.


Having Watson on campus also 

helped alleviate stress and anxiety 

for students throughout the 

semester, with his designation 

as the “paramedic wellness dog” 

fostering a sense of connection 

throughout the entire student 

cohort. 

An added bonus 

The wellbeing benefits of having 

Watson on campus didn’t stop 

with the students. Lisa and fellow 

paramedic staff also enjoyed having 

the whiskered-wellness wonder 

around! 

“I began noticing how I would have a 

much better day when Watson was 

with me. I could see the impact he 

was having on the students. Being 

able to see their reactions, to see 

the difference he was making was 

heart warming. So, as well as being 

good for the student’s wellbeing, it 

turns out, Watson was good for my 

own mental health and wellbeing 

too,” said Lisa. 

What next? 

As educators, it is our duty to 

continue exploring evidence-based 

approaches and interventions 

for enhancing and protecting the 

mental health of our students. 

It is heartening that ECU have been 

willing to introduce Watson the 

wellness dog as an innovative new 

approach to supporting student 

wellbeing. 

It is clear however that student 

mental health and wellbeing is 

a complex and nuanced issue. 


Whilst the use of therapy dogs like 

Watson is one potential option for 

supporting wellbeing – we need 

to continue exploring and trialling 

other possible approaches to help 

prepare paramedic students for 

a career where the mental health 

burden is significant. 


The ‘right to disconnect’ 

is a good start but we 

need to stop pushing 

our frontline workers 

to the brink 

Author: 

Alison Coughlan 

Alison Coughlan is a former healthcare 

CEO and author of The Health Hazard: 

Take control, restore wellbeing and 

optimise impact. For the past 26 years, 

Alison has studied and worked in 

research and public health. She has 

worked with more than 70 organisations 

in a range of roles including researcher, 

policy maker, advocate, leader, 

consultant and Board Director. 

www.alisoncoughlan.com

In emergency services and in 

the health and social sectors, 

frontline workers have an 

inherent vulnerability to burnout 

through sustained exposure to 

stressful and distressing situations 

through their work. Illness and 

suffering, trauma, distress in those 

who are unwell and in their loved 

ones, a sense of helplessness and 

hopelessness when unable to relieve 

suffering, and death. Add into the 

equation long working hours, oncall 

roles, exposure to emotionally 

charged situations and violence and 

it is not hard to see why the statistics 

show that burnout is a significant 

issue. These risks were significant 

before the COVID-19 pandemic 

disrupted our personal and work 

lives in fundamental and devastating 

ways that we are still actively 

navigating our way through. 

Burnout is a direct consequence of 

chronic workplace stress that has 

not been successfully managed. 

Unhealthy social and cultural norms 

can work against meaningful efforts 

to prevent or reduce stress. Demand 

for services, and unmet health 

and social needs, are growing. The 

many, often competing, demands on 

our time and energy, coupled with 

relentless resource constraints, are 

simply and devastatingly wearing us 

down. 

The ‘right to disconnect’ has recently 

been incorporated into the Victoria 

Police Enterprise Bargaining 

Agreement meaning that leave 

and rest days must be respected 

and contact avoided outside work 

hours unless in an emergency or 

for the purpose of a welfare check. 

Embedding the ‘right to disconnect’ 

is a great start and an important part 

of changing unhealthy norms. Nonurgent 

non-time-critical distractions 

outside working hours can influence 

our capacity to remain present with 

our loved ones, to rest and engage 

in the pastimes that bring us joy and 

restore our energy and wellbeing. 

Without that vital restoration, we will 

not be able to bring our best selves 

to our work, our resilience will be 

lowered and the flow-on effects to 

our personal lives and our wellbeing 

will compound. 

How can we address unmet needs, 

reduce disadvantage and inequality 

and achieve meaningful change if 

running on empty is our modus 

operandi? Continued striving, 

innovation and transformation is the 

only way for us to make meaningful 

progress. We need to turn up in 

wholehearted service, so that we can 

do our very best each and every day 

that we are engaged in our work. 

We need to learn, grow and evolve, 

and we need to sustain our efforts 

over time. We dearly need to have 

energy in our reserves to take on this 

important work. Burnout cannot be 

accepted as inevitable. 

Setting clear boundaries between 

work and non-work hours and 

respecting the ‘right to disconnect’ 

should be considered across sectors 

where work roles bring an inherent 

risk of burnout. And we shouldn’t 

stop there. We need reform at 

every level of our society, system, 

workplaces and teams so that 

burnout is proactively addressed well 

before it impacts on our teams, our 

workplace cultures and our lives. 

Each individual needs to take control, 

set and maintain boundaries and 

actively work to build and replenish 

their energy and wellbeing reserves 

as a matter of routine. This is the 

only way to ensure they have the fuel 

to go the distance, tend to all of the 

dimensions of their life that matter 

and avoid the inevitable crash that 

will occur without due attention to 

their wellbeing. 

Leaders need to be visible authentic 

role models who set healthy 

boundaries themselves, engage in 

self care and challenge and support 

their teams to reject burnout as 

inevitable and the norm. This is 

essential for us to continue to turn 

up in service, maintain resilience 

in the face of many challenges, 

influence meaningful change and 

optimise social impact.

SPECIAL OPERATION 

IRONSIDE

An Australian Federal Police-led operation 

has charged more than one hundred 

organised crime members after developing 

a world-leading capability to see encrypted 

communications used exclusively by 

organised crime. 

AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE 

The encrypted communications – which 

allegedly included plots to kill, mass 

drug trafficking and gun distribution - 

were decrypted from a platform covertly run 

by the FBI. 

More than 4,000 members from the AFP and 

state and territory police have been involved 

in the execution of hundreds of warrants 

since 7 June, 2021, under Operation Ironside, 

which covertly began three years ago. 

Operation Ironside has led to the arrest 

of 224 offenders on 526 charges in every 

mainland Australian state. 

3.7 tonnes of drugs, 104 number of 

weapons, $44,934,457 million in cash, and 

assets expected to run into the millions of 

dollars, have been seized under Operation 

Ironside since 2018. 

The AFP also acted on 20 threats to kill, 

potentially saving the lives of a significant 

number of innocent bystanders, with 

intelligence referred to state police agencies 

which took immediate action. 

More arrests are expected domestically 

and offshore under a coordinated global 

response connected to Operation Ironside. 

The AFP is also likely to seek extradition 

requests of a number of persons of interest 

living overseas. It comes as there have been 

tonnes of drugs and hundreds of arrests 

overseas. 

The AFP will allege offenders linked to 

Australian-based Italian mafia, outlaw 

motorcycle gangs, Asian crime syndicate and 

Albanian organised crime are among those 

charged under Operation Ironside. 

Operation Ironside began almost three years 

ago and is the Australian component of a 

long-term, international, covert investigation. 

The FBI and AFP targeted the dedicated 

encrypted communications platform, which 

was used exclusively by organised crime. 

After working in close partnership on 

Operation Safe Cracking to take down the 

encrypted platform provider Phantom 

Secure, the AFP and FBI worked together to 

fill the vacuum. 

The FBI had access to a new app, named 

AN0M, and began running it without the 

knowledge of the criminal underworld. 

The AFP provided the highly skilled-technical 

staff, and capability to decrypt and read 

encrypted communications in real time, 

giving law enforcement an edge it had never 

had before.

AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw 

thanked the FBI for its cooperation, 

along with the 18 countries that 

worked with the AFP to maintain the 

integrity of the platform. 

As part of the global operation 

more than 9000 officers from law 

enforcement have deployed to the 

international efforts. Commissioner 

Kershaw acknowledged the significant 

resources provided by Australia’s 

state and territory police during the 

days of resolution. 

“Today, Australia is a much safer 

country because of the extraordinary 

outcome under Operation Ironside,’’ 

Commissioner Kershaw said. 

“It highlights how devastatinglyeffective 

the AFP is when it works 

with local and global partners, and 

takes its fight against transnational 

organised crime offshore. 

“This world-first operation will give the 

AFP, state and territory police years 

of intelligence and evidence. 

“There is also the potential for a 

number of cold cases to be solved 

because of Operation Ironside. 

“However, tomorrow, and in the 

future, law enforcement will come up 

against serious challenges. 

“AN0M was an influential encrypted 

communications app but there are 

even bigger encrypted platforms that 

are being used by transnational and 

serious organised criminals targeting 

Australia. 

“They are almost certainly using those 

encrypted platforms to flood Australia 

with drugs, guns and undermine our 

economy by laundering billions of 

dollars of illicit profit. 

“Organised crime syndicates target 

Australia, because sadly, the drug 

market is so lucrative. Australians 

are among the world’s biggest drug 

takers. 

“One of the causes behind domestic 

violence, sexual assault, neglect of 

children and unspeakable tragedy, is 

illicit drugs. 

“Our first responders, our teachers 

and every Australian should be 

able to go to work and live in our 

communities without being harmed 

by an individual under the influence 

of dangerous drugs. 

The app AN0M was installed on 

mobile phones that were stripped 

of other capability. The mobile 

phones, which were bought on the 

black market, could not make calls 

or send emails. It could only send 

messages to another device that had 

the organised crime app. Criminals 

needed to know a criminal to get a 

device. 

The devices organically circulated and 

grew in popularity among criminals, 

who were confident of the legitimacy 

of the app because high-profile 

organised crime figures vouched for 

its integrity. 

“These criminal influencers put the 

AFP in the back pocket of hundreds 

of alleged offenders. 

“Essentially, they have handcuffed 

each other by endorsing and trusting 

AN0M and openly communicating on 

it – not knowing we were watching 

the entire time,” Commissioner 

Kershaw said. 

FBI International Operations Division 

Legal Attaché for Canberra Anthony 

Russo said criminals around the 

world had long used encrypted 

criminal communications platforms 

to avoid law enforcement detection. 

“The FBI, with our international 

partners, will continue to adapt to 

criminal behaviour and develop novel 

approaches to bring these criminals 

to justice,” said the FBI’s Anthony 

Russo. 

“We appreciate our long standing 

partnership with the Australian 

Federal Police in the fight against 

transnational organised crime.” 

Rob Mitchell MP 

Federal Member for McEwen 

He’s here for us. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

39 


IN THE SPOTLIGHT 

In each edition of the Australian Emergency Services 

Magazine we feature a profile on a person, team, 

partnership, squad or unit to showcase their unique 

contribution to the emergency services industry. If you 

would like to be featured or know someone who deserves 

some recognition get in touch with our team. 

DEPUTY CHIEF 

OFFICER ALEN 

“Slipper” 

SLIJEPCEVIC 

It was an interest in trees, not fires that set CFA Deputy 

Chief Officer Alen Slijepcevic on a path that led him 

around the world where he is today found leading the 

bushfire management portfolio of one of the world’s 

largest volunteer fire services. 

Along the way, his work has had an enormous impact 

on the way bushfire risk and incidents are managed 

in Victoria – one of the most bushfire prone regions in 

the world – and improved the safety and resilience of 

communities and the environment. 

Story by 

Liselotte Geary 

CFA Media 

Those achievements are rewarded with an Australian 

Fire Service Medal, announced as part of the Queen’s 

Birthday 2021 Honours List. 

“I feel very honoured for being nominated and receiving this 

award. I would like to thank my colleagues and friends from 

the global fire community that have shared their knowledge 

and experience with me so I could continuously learn and 

improve my knowledge and skills. And none of that could 

have happened if I didn’t have a supportive family that allow 

me to do what I love and who has made a lot of sacrifices 

along the way,” DCO Slijepcevic said. 

The journey started when he enrolled for a Master of Science 

- Forestry at the University of Zagreb in Croatia. 

“I wanted to spend my working life being outdoors and 

forestry was giving me that option,” DCO Slijepcevic says. 

While his best friend abandoned the course after the first 

year and become a professional musician, DCO Slijepcevic 

had found his passion. 

However, when the former Republic of Yugoslavia was 

plunged into war in the early 1990s, he and his wife decided 

to migrate to seek a better future for their then three-yearold 

son. 

“We applied and received a permanent residency in 

New Zealand and made a move. My first job was a Fire 

Management Officer with Forestry Corporation.” 

While in New Zealand, Alen was also working with NZ Forest 

Research Institute, where he met and worked with Liam 

Fogarty, who is now Deputy Chief Officer with Forest Fire 

Management Victoria. 

Fogarty saw something special in the young Croat with the 

strong accent. 

“He had a forestry science degree but didn’t have the 

experience of fire behaviour, especially from an Australian 

and New Zealand perspective, but he did an advanced fire 

behaviour course and came out top of the class,” he says. 

“Seeing someone who was so incredibly interested in taking 

on new challenges and who was inquisitive and intelligent – 

that impressed me no end.” 


The uncertain future of the New Zealand forest industry 

future prompted Alen to accept a permanent position with 

Forestry Tasmania and the family moved again. 

“For seven years, I worked for an organisation full of very 

capable people and had opportunity to be deployed to US – 

on the first ever deployment of A/NZ fire managers – and to 

NSW, gaining different perspectives on fire management and 

increasing my knowledge and experience,” Alen says of his 

time with Forestry Tasmania. 

The opportunity to work with fire managers across Australia 

and globally led to another offer to come to Victoria’s 

then-Department of Sustainability and Environment where 

Alen rose through the ranks from Coordinator of Statewide 

Hazard Management and Prescribed Burning to Assistant 

Chief Officer (Capability). 

His knowledge, experience and leadership qualities 

accumulated to date would be tested when the state was 

devastated by the 2009 Victorian bushfires, including Black 

Saturday. 

In the days following 7 February 2009, then-ACO Slijepcevic 

with two other ACOs coordinated suppression activities 

to ensure that DSE’s response addressed the immediate 

needs of communities and the natural environment as 

well as undertook work to ensure that Melbourne’s water 

catchments were not significantly impacted by bushfires. 

“Alen’s passion and drive is 

not only around the science 

itself but for making sure that 

it gets into the hands of the 

people doing the job and benefit 

community safety” 

“At that time, these two agencies were working much closer 

than in the past and I wanted to further bring us together,” 

he says. 

Under his leadership – at both DSE and CFA – a number 

of resources and technologies were developed and 

implemented, including the automating Phoenix Rapid Fire 

bushfire prediction tool, the resource management and 

tracking systems used in the state today, the online grassland 

curing application and the award-winning multi-agency 

system eMap. He was also instrumental in developing a first 

nationally consistent training for Fire Behaviour Analysts 

(FBAN’s) and a creation of a predictive services function within 

the State Control Centre (SCC). 

“For seven years, I worked for an organisation full of very capable people and had 

opportunity to be deployed to the US – on the first ever deployment of A/NZ fire managers 

Alen Slijepcevic (first from the right in the first row) pictured in Tasmania in the 1990s during the Forest Fire Management Group (FFMG) field trip, which brought together fire 

managers from land management agencies. 

In the coming months – and years – DCO Slijepcevic oversaw 

critical pieces of work that included input to the Department’s 

response to the Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission (VBRC), 

preparing the state for the 2009-10 fire season, coordinating 

immediate changes recommended by the VBRC. 

“There were some very tough years while I was at DSE, with 

several hard fire season including Black Saturday and the 

subsequent Victorian Bushfire Royal Commission, but I was 

fortunate to work alongside some extremely capable people 

and to lead a fantastic team of dedicated individuals at a 

world-leading bushfire management organisation,” DCO 

Slijepcevic says. 

Well and truly established in Victoria, Alen’s next career move 

was to join CFA, taking up the role as Deputy Chief Officer – 

Capability & Infrastructure in 2012. 

He is very proud of the work he led in developing the multiagency 

IMT training packages, accreditation frameworks for 

level 2 and 3 roles, and Australia’s first staff ride case studies. 

CFA’s Manager Incident Management Systems, Luke 

Heagerty, writes in his nomination of DCO Slijepcevic for the 

Australian Fire Services Medial that “the systems, frameworks 

and approaches developed across agencies by Alen and his 

team are incredible legacies of a challenging time for the 

emergency management sector”. 

“The improvements to prediction of fire behaviour, the 

monitoring of grassland fuel conditions, the tracking of 

resources and our people as they respond to fires and 

emergencies and how all these support our incident 

management leaders contribute to achieving a safer Victoria,” 

he adds. 

41 


promotes CFA’s research into climate change and its effect on 

Australia’s fire seasons. 

CFA Manager Research and Development, Dr Sarah Harris 

congratulated DCO Slijepcevic on receiving the Australian Fire 

Service Medial. 

“Alen has been a strong advocate for research for decades, 

advocating the critical role science and innovation plays in 

ensuring emergency management is continually improving 

and basing decisions on evidence,” she said. 

“He is highly respected internationally for his expertise, 

experience and contribution to fire science and his 

leadership in emergency management. Alen has been an 

amazing mentor to me and many others in the fire science 

community thanks to his passion and commitment to 

research,” she said. 

Undertaking research into aircraft drops in New Zealand. 

DCO Slijepcevic also prides himself on promoting diversity 

in his field; as president and chairman of the International 

Association of Wildland Fire Achievements he not only 

facilitated valuable exchanges of information and knowledge 

between international members of the wildfire community, 

he also coordinated a creation of a Fairness and Inclusion 

Policy and managed to increase female participation on the 

Board to over 40 per cent. 

“I am fortunate that I have always been extremely supported 

by my managers and colleagues and have benefitted from 

people sharing their experience – that’s why I want to give 

back to others coming into fire management,” he said. 

DCO Slijepcevic’s commitment to creating cultural, age and 

gender diversity has seen him create successful teams, 

whose members speak highly of him as a leader. 

Liam Fogarty agrees one of DCO Slijepcevic’s strengths is the 

“passion he brings to the table”. 

“Alen’s passion and drive is not only around the science itself 

but for making sure that it gets into the hands of the people 

doing the job and benefit community safety,” he says. 

In addition to his contribution to research and development 

in bushfire management in Australia and New Zealand, he 

actively represents CFA and participates in several joint and 

interagency working groups, has taken on senior leadership 

and governance roles within the Australasian Fire and 

Emergency Service Authorities Council, the Bushfire and 

Natural Hazards Cooperative Research Centre and with 

the International Association of Wildland Fire, all of which 

demonstrate his significant and prolonged contribution to 

the fire service and the interest of community safety. 

With thanks to Alen Slijepcevic and CFA for story and images. 

“Alen’s commitment to getting all stakeholders to work more 

effectively together has facilitated a more strategic and 

integrated approach to fire management planning. He is a 

leader who facilitates these difficult but important discussions 

in an empathetic and inclusive way,” writes Luke Heagerty. 

“His leadership has facilitated improved integration and 

collaboration between agencies for Strategic and Tactical 

Operational Planning and the delivery of bushfire mitigation 

programs and services. There is now a cross sector vision and 

approach to bushfire risk mitigation, to predictive services 

and to the management of fires that do occur.” 

The results speak for themselves; under DCO Slijepcevic’s 

stewardship, both with the previous DSE and with CFA, 

Victoria has benefitted from improved bushfire management 

and better interagency coordination. 

As a result of the fire agencies (DELWP, Parks Victoria and 

CFA) now working closer together when implementing 

planned burning across land tenures, there has been a 

marked increase in CFA brigade participation and the sharing 

of resources, vehicles and other equipment. 

While DCO Slijepcevic himself is no stranger to the practical 

skill of using a drip torch in the field alongside volunteer 

firefighters, he also still has one foot firmly in academia. 

Subscribing to the motto “we need to burn to learn”, he 

has led his team’s research into fire behaviour, and also 

Alen Slijepcevic with a torch during an experimental burn 


TRAVEL 

EMERGENCY 

Breaks 

Words: Brooke Turnbull 

Although it might be cold, (especially for 

those of us who prefer to dwell in the 

northern regions for the winter) we’re 

taking you down south. This time exploring 

the artistic and creative capital city that is 

Adelaide. 

Recently ranked 2021’s third most liveable 

city in the world by the Global Liveability 

Index, Adelaide is Australia’s most boutique 

capital, with a range of activities, beautiful 

places to stay as well as top restaurants 

and bars. 

Join us as we visit this cold, but stunning, 

city in the height of winter. 

GPO Clock Tower Adelaide City

Location: 

Adelaide is the capital of South 

Australia and is located on the 

south east of the state, closer to 

its Victorian neighbours than its 

Western Australian ones. It has both 

domestic and international airports 

and all major Australian airports, plus 

many regional ones, fly directly into 

Adelaide. 

Given that Adelaide has a brilliant 

public transport system and 

everything you could want at your 

fingertips, including great day trips, 

there’s no need to hire a car unless 

absolutely necessary, or, if you want 

to explore the regions surrounding 

the city at your own pace. 

This episode of Emergency Breaks 

will take you on a purely city tour, but 

if you have the time and inclination, 

we highly recommend checking out 

the South Australia website for some 

great ideas of places surrounding 

Adelaide to explore. 

Places to Stay: 

Given the scope of the city, there 

are some truly unique and beautiful 

places to stay while visiting Adelaide. 

Once again, we’ve narrowed it down 

to three recommendations, but 

there are so many options that it’s 

always worth your while to do some 

thorough research into your own 

style of accommodation. 

Given the location of Adelaide, 

it’s also worth noting that there 

are different options of suitable 

accommodation depending on the 

time of year that you visit. As we’re 

heading down during the coldest 

months of the year we’re staying 

away from a sun soaked beach 

adventure, but the uniqueness of 

Adelaide is that it has those options 

if you’re wanting them. So if you’re 

heading down for a summer getaway, 

have a look at some of the options 

within Brighton and Glenelg for 

stunning views and warm, beautiful 

pools. We’re sticking to the CBD, so 

check out our options below. 

The Adelaide Oval - home to the Adelaide Crows and Port Adelaide 

close to a variety of restaurants, bars 

and shopping precincts. With easy 

access to and from the airport (only 

taking about 10 minutes) it’s also a 

great place to stay if you’re only in the 

city for a few days and want to see as 

much as possible. 

Set in a heritage listed, renovated 

building the Mayfair has both the 

charm of a time gone by but with the 

modern conveniences that we have 

come to expect of a higher price 

point. With an in-room mini bar, room 

service and the boutique bar and 

restaurant on-site, it’s hard not to 

even want to leave the hotel. Starting 

at $279 per night in low season, the 

Mayfair Hotel is perfect for a sneaky 

getaway with girlfriends or your 

special someone. 

The Soho Hotel, Ascend Hotel 

Collection, is next on the list for our 

mid-range pick. Featuring a stunning 

semi-enclosed and heated swimming 

pool, as well as a rooftop deck where 

you can enjoy a delicious cocktail 

while overlooking the beautiful 

Adelaide cityscape, the Soho is a 

boutique and modern hotel with 

everything guests could want. 

The Art Galley of South Australia, with approximately 47,000 different displays 

Number one on this list is in the 

higher category of price range, 

however it’s perfect for a couples 

getaway, especially in winter. The 

Mayfair Hotel in King William Street 

is right in the heart of the CBD and

Located in the trendy East End of Adelaide city, its within 

walking distance to the Art Gallery of South Australia 

and the Adelaide Botanic Gardens, perfect for a winter 

stroll before booking in at the hotel’s spa that offers 

divine in-room treatments. Starting at $159 per night in 

low season, this hotel is the perfect mid-range hotel that 

doesn’t skimp on style and comfort. 

With some of the best venues that the city has to offer - Peel 

Street is a must visit 

Finally, with rooms starting at $99 per night in low 

season, the Grosvenor Hotel Adelaide is our budget 

price point this month. Located directly opposite the 

Adelaide Convention Centre and The Parliament of 

South Australia, the historic 1918 Grosvenor Hotel is 

excellently located to explore the city of Adelaide on the 

perfect budget. Rooms are clean and tidy and include 

standard tea and coffee making facilities as well as free 

WiFi in-room and property wide. Offering breakfast 

in the onsite hotel restaurant, this hotel is perfect for 

guests who want to get out and about to explore, while 

also wanting a cosy and comfortable bed at the end of a 

long day of experiencing all that Adelaide has to offer. 

Things to Do: 

There is a wealth of things to do in Adelaide. While you 

can immediately go to the obvious and think of day trips 

to the wineries and wine regions, the city of Adelaide is 

where we’re exploring this month and there is just as 

much to see and do inside of the city as out of it. 

You can’t visit Adelaide and not wander around 

appreciating the gloriousness that is its food and wine. 

The local produce that the region is home to is fresh, 

delicious and presented a multitude of ways in the 

various restaurants and bars within the city. To fully 

delve into the gastronomic delights that Adelaide has to 

offer, the best place to go is Peel Street. 

Located between Currie and Hindley Streets in 

Adelaide’s West End, Peel Street offers up some of the 

best venues that the city has to offer. From eateries, to 

bars, to high end restaurants. You can spend the entire 

time you’re in Adelaide eating in Peel Street and still 

leave feeling as if there was more to be had. Though we 

can guarantee you’ll leave feeling full and satisfied from 

the food. 

Mayfair Hotel in King William Street is right in the heart of the CBD 

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For a truly unique and beautiful ocean experience, 

a day cruise to swim with the dolphins is one of 

the best. Temptation Sailing is the premier charter 

cruise company in Adelaide offering a wide range 

of experiences for all guests. Although a swim with 

the dolphins is more of a summer activity, you can 

experience it year-round with Temptation. For swim 

charters it starts at $120 per adult and to just watch 

the dolphins is just $68 per adult. This activity really is 

one not to be missed. Launching from Glenelg, you also 

experience the full view of the Adelaide skyline from the 

coast, which is just stunning. 

If you’re looking for the ultimate in touristy activities 

while you’re in Adelaide, to truly experience all that 

the city has to offer, then the following is just for you. 

The Art Galley of South Australia, with approximately 

47,000 different displays, is rich with culture and works 

presented in a myriad of surprising and enjoyable ways. 

Take in an AFL game at the Adelaide Oval. If you’re not a 

local, or don’t follow AFL it doesn’t matter, pick a team, 

wear the colours and enjoy the excitement of the crowd. 

The Soho is a boutique and modern hotel with everything guests could want. 

From $9 per person you can visit the historical jewel 

that is the Adelaide Gaol. For over 147 years this unique 

piece of architecture housed some of Australia’s most 

notorious and dangerous criminals. It also happens to 

be one of South Australia’s oldest buildings. If you love a 

side of terror with your history, book a guided ghost tour 

and enjoy the creepiest elements of an already creepy 

establishment. 

Finally, a trip to MOD at the University of South Australia 

is a particularly enjoyable way to spend an afternoon. 

With dynamic and changing exhibitions, MOD showcases 

the best of science and technology and teaches guests 

how research shapes our understanding of the world 

of today and tomorrow. An interactive and free public 

display, MOD is one of Adelaide’s best experiences. 

While borders are opening and closing like revolving 

doors right now, we hope that you’re still finding 

inspiration to travel where you can. Let’s get back out 

there and see all the best that Australia has to offer, and 

Adelaide really is one of the best. 

The historic 1918 Grosvenor Hotel is excellently located to explore the city of 

Adelaide 

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Get 

storm 

ready. 

Storms can strike at any time, that’s why it’s important 

to always be prepared. 

Prepare your home 

Stay safe while driving 

Trim trees and branches close to your house 

Secure loose items in your backyard 

Clear gutters, downpipes and drains 

Get your roof checked for damage or corrosion 

Make sure all shades, sails and awnings are 

properly fitted 

Get your insurance up-to-date 

Always follow flood warning signs 

Never drive through flood water 

Shelter vehicles under cover, not under trees 

Avoid driving when a storm is coming 

Get your insurance up-to-date 

Helpful hints: 

You can ask the council or energy 

company to check trees on your street 

that may pose a threat to your property or 

powerlines. 

Even if you’ve cleared your gutters 

recently, they can soon fill up with leaves 

and other debris, especially after a 

downpour. On average you should check 

they’re clear every couple of weeks. 

If you don’t already know your neighbours, 

go and introduce yourself. They might 

need a hand getting storm ready. Plus, 

when bad weather strikes it’s important to 

be able to tell the SES who lives nearby. 

Make sure everyone in your household 

knows what to do in severe weather. 

For tips on developing a house 

emergency plan use the SES guide at 

www.stormwise.com.au 

If you do need help during a severe storm, call the Queensland State Emergency Service on 132 500 

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1 June - 31 August 

Give life. Give blood. 

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A MENTAL HEALTH ISSUE 

DOESN’T MEAN YOU’RE SOFT. 

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Put your hand up for help. 

The sooner you do, the sooner you get better. 

PO LICE ASS O CIAT 

IO N 

O F 

S O U TH 

I A 

AUST RA L

AESM Vol 24; Issue 3, 2021

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