Motorola Knowledge Event Series 2020
View from the top: leading under pressure - Proceedings

September - October 2020

One of the key functions of AFAC is to collaborate and share knowledge. This is the aim of the Knowledge Event Series, held annually across nine locations in Australia and New Zealand, supported by the Motorola Solutions Foundation. The theme for the 2020 Knowledge Event Series was: ‘Leading under pressure: how our leaders manage themselves and their agencies during intense and sustained operational periods’.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the event was held virtually and focused on the experiences of Australian fire agency commissioners and chief officers. AFAC CEO Stuart Ellis remarked that it was a fitting adjustment following the scale and intensity of the Black Summer bushfires in 2019–20.

“Historically we have invited overseas speakers to talk about events and developments across the globe. Of course, that has not been possible in 2020, and so we have looked inward, we have looked to our own chiefs and commissioners, and I’m so glad we have, because we have received insights from four chiefs and commissioners who were heavily impacted by the season just past.”

Four chief officers and commissioners shared their professional and personal pressures relating to the 2019–20 bushfire season: Queensland Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner Greg Leach; Emergency Management Victoria Commissioner Andrew Crisp APM; South Australian Country Fire Service Chief Officer Mark Jones QFSM; and New South Wales Rural Fire Service Commissioner Rob Rogers.

The Black Summer season has been referred to as unprecedented in many states of Australia. In Queensland, bushfires started to affect communities in August 2019 and culminated in 7.7 million hectares being burned and 49 homes lost. On 3 January 2020, with more than 260 new fires burning, Victoria declared a state of disaster. Many communities became isolated and the fires continued until March. Five people lost their lives and 1.5 million hectares of land were burned. In October 2019, SA was affected by catastrophic fires due to weather conditions, with around 65 new fires starting in one hour. Approximately 10,500 volunteers were active in the state over this time, and on one day, 6,500 firefighters were activated. In NSW, the longevity and scale of the season was devastating, with more than 11,000 fires, 2,500 homes destroyed and 26 lives lost. Across Australia, thousands of interstate and international resources assisted with the fire suppression effort until there was some relief in February 2020.

“These four chiefs were directly impacted - their states were directly impacted - by what has occurred. At times we don’t often appreciate the pressures and experiences of our own people, and this provides some really valuable insights, which I’m so glad we have captured after such a significant season,” Mr Ellis said.

The observations provided by operational leaders were contextualised with a presentation from University of Tasmania Associate Professor Christine Owen on research regarding pressure and stress management.