Jamie has over thirty years’ experience in the NSW Rural Fire Service in both volunteer & staff capacities. Jamie has applied his extensive experience through roles as district officer, Hotspots facilitator and operationally as Divisional Commander, Air Observer as well as within Incident Management Team roles. Prior to the roles he has held as NSW RFS staff, Jamie spent a number of years with Forestry Corporation. 

As a Wiradjuri descendant, Jamie has a close connection to country. In his current position Jamie combines his operational experience and community facilitation skills to develop community protection plans with a focus on Discrete Aboriginal Communities and has been active in delivering bush fire training programs to Aboriginal Ranger Groups and facilitating improved relationships between Aboriginal Communities, local brigades, Districts and Areas. Jamie continues to assist the Hotspots team with the planning and delivery of projects within the Northern part of the State.   

Susannah Bilous is Supervisor Bush Fire Risk Planning with the NSW RFS. She has worked for the RFS for over 15 years in both natural environment and bush fire risk management planning. She is currently involved in the development and implementation of the new Bush Fire Risk Management planning process.   

Vikki is a remedial massage therapist working with elite athletes, as well as editing a state-wide beekeeping magazine. The Bingley Family of Sutton, NSW owns and operates one of NSW’s largest commercial beekeeping businesses. 

Her strong sense of community and willingness to help others coupled with her organisational and logistical skills gained over years of volunteering and business management set her up for success in the Community Field Liaison (CFL) role.  The ability to communicate effectively with people from different walks of life and in stressful situations is paramount to the success of the CFL program.   

Anthony Bradstreet is the A/Director Strategy & Programs with the NSW Rural Fire Service. He has extensive experience as a community engagement leader across volunteer emergency services having served on a number of AFAC Committees, led the development and implementation of national doctrine, state and agency level strategies and AFAC Peer Review processes.  

Anthony is a member of the Australian Institute of Emergency Management, holds a Graduate Diploma in Community Development (Emergency Management) and is currently completing a Masters of Public Administration with the Australian New Zealand School of Government.    

With over 30 years of industry experience, Simon co-founded 360 Entertainment in 2008, where he managers a core specialist team of 5 technical personnel and multiple contractors. He is a multi-disciplinary producer of mobile applications, websites, video productions and events. Working for a range of clients, including Australian Government agencies and public broadcasters, to renowned artists, innovators and startups. Simon’s field of expertise is in entertainment and education and has a proven track record of successfully managing complex projects from end to end.  

With a strong understanding of the digital space and a broad knowledge of production processes, experimental and emerging technologies. A work ethic that is all about hands on action, he can be found both in front and behind the camera or microphone. His goal is to craft emotive memorable and visually stunning stories, to inspire people to take action, to discover, to learn, to experience.   

Jennie is the Hotspots Program Coordinator within the NSW Rural Fire Service. Jennie brings over 12 years' experience within Local and State Government in bush fire management, environmental assessment, climate science, organisational strategic planning and community disaster resilience. Through these roles she has liaised with fire agencies, land managers and community members to plan and implement a range of hazard reduction measures and community preparedness activities in geographically complex settings. Jennie is also a fire behaviour analyst, providing assistance to incident management teams and has been a volunteer firefighter since 2008. Jennie is passionate about strengthening the adaptive capacity of communities to foster resilience to bush fire and reduce our ecological impact through the way fire is managed in our landscapes.   

Warren is a logistics specialist employed by one of the country’s largest supermarket chains. He is no stranger to managing the competing demands of customers and clients alike.  

He is a committed member of the NSW RFS of more than twenty years, working tirelessly to ensure his community of Marulan, NSW is kept informed of any fire activity in the local area. When the opportunity arose for him to join the Southern Tablelands Community Field Liaison Team, he took it with both hands knowing the potential for his skills and experience to benefit many communities across the State. 

Warren joined John Sullivan on the initial deployment in September 2019 to Glen Innes and the Clarence Valley. However, it wouldn’t be till later into the 2019/20 Fire Season until the threat of fire came knocking very close to home for Warren. His position as a leader within his community was cemented as a result of his ability to support and guide his community through what was an anxious and challenging time.   

Gillian Eshman is a Community Engagement Coordinator with the NSW Rural Fire Service, primarily focussed on improving the accessibility of bush fire risk and preparedness educational resources for At-Risk communities. She currently coordinates the NSW Rural Fire Service’s School Programs and At-Risk Communities projects aimed at engaging with People with Disabilities and their carers, and culturally and linguistically diverse communities.  

During her public service career, Gillian previously worked as Classroom Teacher with NSW Department of Education before joining the ACT Government to work in Multicultural and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs, including facilitating the community centred design of the inaugural ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Agreement. After completing her Masters of Human Rights in 2018, she joined the Australian Human Rights Commission as Senior Advisor to the Race Discrimination Commissioner and provided expert advice on projects aimed at improving representation of cultural diverse communities, and education about anti-racism.    

John Gilbert is a research and evaluation practitioner with 17 years’ experience in bushfire community safety and emergency management. He currently leads a research and evaluation unit at the Country Fire Authority in Victoria responsible for managing social research projects and program evaluations that contribute to the evidence base underpinning the design and delivery of CFA’s community safety programs. He has also been involved in several studies of major bushfires in Australia. 

Elisabeth's first memories of fire are as a nine-year-old, watching the Erikson S-64 Air Crane 'Elvis' waterbombing during the 2001 Black Christmas bushfires and anxiously crying on a firefighter. 

After years of growing up in the bush, Elisabeth Goh now volunteers with Hornsby Heights Rural Fire Brigade. Inspired by both the unnamed firefighter and her passion for working with the community, Elisabeth holds administrative and field officer roles in community engagement and liaison with both HHRFB and Hornsby Ku-ring-gai RFS District. Elisabeth's experiences on the ground throughout Black Summer triggered her to rethink traditional approaches to engagement and leverage social media to provide timely, accurate and accessible information to vulnerable and diverse communities, before, during and after operations and incidents. In her day job, Elisabeth is in consulting, and enjoys writing and photography, and has been widely acknowledged for her visual essays of firefighting, From the Fireground.   

Broni is a primary producer located in the Southern Tablelands of NSW, who has worked tirelessly over many years to grow the finest and softest coloured Merino wool. The work of the Drap’hyd Merino Stud has been recognised nationally and internationally.  

Her commitment to the rural agricultural sector led her to volunteering with the NSW RFS some 15 years ago. Since joining the NSW RFS, Broni has been instrumental in developing and training other volunteers in Community Engagement, First Aid and bush/grass firefighting.  

Broni was amongst the initial cohort of Community Field Liaison Officers (CFLO) deployed to northern NSW in September 2019. Her work as a CFLO continued over many months across NSW. Drawing on her life’s work, placed her in a unique position to effectively engage with and support many devastated rural landholders.    

Amanda Leck is the Executive Director of the Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience (AIDR) where she leads a program of work on behalf of the Commonwealth Government through the Department of Home Affairs – EMA, to support a disaster resilient Australia.  

Amanda is a community development and engagement professional with a proven ability to provide leadership and strategic direction in the planning, implementation and delivery of programs, in a complex environment. She has 30 years’ experience in the emergency management and community sectors, working with CFA Victoria, local government, AFAC the national fire and emergency services council, prior to her appointment leading AIDR. 

Amanda has significant experience in establishing partnerships with all levels of Government and the business sectors and has demonstrated leadership and management experience. Her skills include communications and stakeholder engagement.    

Andy MacDougal joined the Scotts Flat RFB in 2006. In 2011 he was elected President, but by 2012 he had to relinquish his role due to a recurrence of PTSD that stemmed from active service with the Australian Army. In mid 2020 he was asked to return and take on the role of Permit Officer. In October 2020 he conceived the PIP project and formed a team from Scott’s Flat Brigade to develop and execute the plan.  

Most of his working life was spent in Asia where he worked with Australian, European and US multinational corporations. He ran in own consulting company for many years. He has extensive experience in Governments to Government dealings across Asia, and maintains an active interest in international affairs.  

Since buying a property in Lambs Valley in 2002, he has maintained a deep and ongoing engagement with his local community. For many years he was President of the district Landcare and Community Group.  

Tenneile is a Registered Psychologist who leads the health and wellbeing team. With a Masters in Organisational Psychology, she has a unique and varied background having held senior roles in both private consulting with one of the Big 4 global consultancies and in government organisations in criminal, clinical and organisational psychology.  

With expertise in safety, wellbeing, and mental health Tenneile has managed many varied projects focussed on cultural change and creating psychologically safe and healthy workplaces. In her role at the RFS, Tenneile is passionate about creating evidence informed, co-designed and collaborative programs that address key psychosocial and mental health needs for our members. Tenneile has two boys, aged 2 and 5 whom give her great joy, challenge her on a daily basis AND have appetites of adult men!   

Brett is a Registered Psychologist who joins the NSW RFS as the Occupational Psychologist. Brett has over 18 years’ experience with the RFS as a volunteer, being a Deputy Captain with the Narara Rural Fire Brigade as well as an active member of Central Coast RAFT and the State Ceremonial Unit. He brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the RFS, having most recently worked with NSW Police Force Psychology Unit, and having a background in mental health service including youth mental health as well as occupational rehabilitation. Brett brings a particular interest in improving mental health knowledge and skills of the membership to enable members to improve their own mental wellbeing as well as their fellow members. Brett has two boys, aged 5 and 11 and enjoys practising and teaching martial arts to kids and adults as well as chainsaw operations in the RFS.    

Glenn commenced service with Illawong Brigade, Sutherland Shire over 30years ago. Since 2001 Glenn has been a volunteer with Laguna and Wollombi Brigades in Lower Hunter, and is currently Deputy Captain of Wollombi RFB. Glenn is passionate about community safety and the role it plays in a highly effective brigade, along with its contribution to preparedness and resilience of the community it protects.  

Over the past 15 years he has driven the development of a highly effective, risk-based community engagement program, recognised with NSW State and National Resilient Australia Awards, and for his contribution was awarded the Commissioner’s Commendation for Service. Glenn has presented extensively on best practice community engagement with the RFS, the Victorian Country Fire Authority, and at the United States International Association of Wildfire Conference. 

Professionally, Glenn is a business strategist, with a background in workplace design and construction, change management and communications.    

Daniel is a community engagement professional with over a decade spent working with vulnerable and at-risk communities across South Eastern NSW. His passion for community engagement has led him to an enjoyable career with the NSW Rural Fire Service.  

He has considerable experience in public information and operational engagement. This has seen him lead the Public Information functional area at many and varied incidents across New South Wales and Queensland, undertaking more than a dozen deployments during the 2019/20 Fire Season alone.  

In 2018, Daniel established the Southern Tablelands CFL Team. He is extremely passionate about the role of Community Field Liaison Officers during natural disaster events, witnessing firsthand how effective engagement during such an event delivers improved outcomes for individuals, communities and Emergency Service Organisations.  

Dr Ken Strahan is a researcher with 40 years’ experience in market research, economic consultancy, industry analysis and public policy development. He has been involved in bushfire research in Australia for 27 years. His doctorate on household decision-making in bushfire identified factors that predict evacuation and established the concept of, and identified seven evacuation archetypes. He has published numerous papers and reports and presented to international conferences on his bushfire research.  

John is the Captain of the Taralga Rural Fire Brigade, located in the Southern Tablelands of NSW. The community of Taralga has faced multiple threats from fire in recent years. John is committed to ensuring his local community’s preparedness and resilience is of the highest standard.  

Prior to joining the NSW RFS, John spent three decades working in the IT industry and sixteen years prior to the in the Australian Army. His interpersonal, communication and organisational skills are exceptional.  

John was deployed multiple times over the 2019/20 Fire Season as a Team Leader of multiagency Community Field Liaison Teams across northern NSW, including Glen Innes and the Clarence Valley. More recently John has assisted the NSW SES in a CFLO capacity during the Port Macquarie flood response.  

Kim commenced his full time working life as a high school science teacher in 1979, continuing until 1990, when he transferred to the role of Home School Liaison Officer. Alongside his civilian career, Kim served as a Commissioned Officer in the Army Reserve from 1974. In 1995 he transferred to the regular Army and completed a Graduate Diploma of Strategic Studies before being posted to Army Headquarters. In 2000 he retired from the Army and became a threat risk adviser and threat risk instructor for senior police and public servants. Since 2009 he has been a member of the Colinton RFB and is a crew leader and deputy captain. In February 2020 he and his wife successfully defended their home when the Orroral/Clear Range Fire devastated the Bumbalong Valley. Kim is presenting on behalf of the Bumbalong Valley Progress Association.  

Dr Briony Towers is a sociocultural psychologist based in Melbourne, Victoria. Her research is focussed on hazards education which empowers children to play an active role in community safety. With over a decade’s experience in the field, Briony has collaborated with emergency management agencies, schools, children and families to design and evaluate education programs for a wide range of hazards, including structure fire, bushfire and flood. She is the Chief Investigator of the Bushfire and Natural Hazards Cooperative Research Centre’s project on Child-Centred Disaster Risk Reduction. She is also a member of the Australian Institute of Disaster Resilience (AIDR) Disaster Education Strategy Group and the Triple Zero Australia Working Group. Briony lives and works on the land of the Boonwarrung, Wurundjeri and Dja Dja Wurrung people of the Kulin Nation.  

Michelle Villeneuve is an Associate Professor at The University of Sydney and leads the disability-inclusive community development work stream at the Centre for Disability Research and Policy. Michelle’s international program of research addresses inequities that people with disability experience in everyday living and situations of natural hazard disaster, and other emergencies. Her research informs both conceptual and practical dimensions of interprofessional collaboration and resource utilisation. She brings to this research over 20 years of experience working in regions of conflict and natural hazard disaster to develop community-led programs and services, and re-build opportunities for people with disability.  

Dr Josh Whittaker is Coordinator Community Engagement with the NSW Rural Fire Service. His role is focused on the monitoring and evaluation of community engagement programs and activities. Previously he worked as a researcher with the University of Wollongong, where he led studies into a number of significant fires including the 2017 Sir Ivan Fire, the 2018 Reedy Swamp (Tathra) Fire, and the 2019-20 Black Summer Fires.  

Assistant Commissioner Whybro joined the NSW Fire Brigades in 1981 and has 40 years’ experience in emergency and risk management. Since 2007, Mark has chaired the Triple Zero Awareness Work Group, a national partnership of Police, Fire and Ambulance call-taking agencies, Government departments, consumer and industry stakeholders. The work group develops and publishes initiatives to improve the community’s knowledge and understanding of Australia’s national emergency call service, Triple Zero (000).  

The two primary assets developed by the Triple Zero Awareness Work Group are the Emergency Plus app and the Triple Zero Kids’ Challenge on-line and app safety game for 4 to 8 year-olds.  

Growing up on a property surrounded by bushland, Conor developed a passion for creating film and video content at a young age. Influenced by his parents involvement in television production, he would often force his friends and family to act in his films, which were usually set in the Australian bush.  

Conor’s passion for the bush has never dwindled and in an effort to protect and preserve it, he joined the NSW Rural Fire Service. Conor volunteers with both the Arcadia Rural Fire Brigade and the Hornsby/Ku-Ring-Gai Communications Brigade, strengthening his passion for community based emergency services. 

Through his experience in film and television, Conor identified the opportunity for short form educational video content, designed to educate and prepare his local community. Both passions led Conor to create the Hornsby/Ku-Ring-Gai Vlog Series. 

Phil has over twenty years’ experience working in various Horticultural and Agricultural enterprises and consultancy and has managed both wholesale and retail nurseries and large rural properties. He has also worked extensively with the symbiotic relationships of vesicular arbuscular mycorrhiza and native flora, and in the biological pest management of both horticultural and agricultural enterprises. Phil has Tertiary qualifications in both Mycology and Horticulture.  

Tim is Manager Planning & Environment Services based at Coffs Harbour. He has previous worked as a Coordinator State Mitigation Services based at Dubbo; District Manager at Lake George; Community Safety Officer at Shoalhaven and Macarthur; and in various roles at Headquarters.  

Tim has had a long held interest in community engagement and has been an active practitioner, trainer and presenter on the subject for almost 20 years. Tim has tertiary qualifications in environmental management, bush fire protection and management.  

Zoë D’Arcy is currently a full-time student with RMIT, doing a PhD titled 'Towards fire-adaptive communities in the Australian landscape'. Through her research, she’s exploring how communities could take a more strategic, rather than reactive, approach to fire in the landscape. Zoë decided on an emergency-related career change after her community was impacted by a bushfire in 2017. Before that, she had a long-term career in the public service, with 15 years in senior management roles. Since then, she has done research into community-led recovery; and worked as a planning and research officer for NSW SES and ACT government. 

Zoë is a volunteer member of the NSW RFS with the Carwoola brigade; the ACT chapter lead for the Australasian Women in Emergencies network; and a representative for the Nature Conservation Council of NSW on the Lake George Bushfire Management Committee. 

Supt Martin Siemsen begun his membership in the NSWRFS in 1989 as a Volunteer in the Blue Mountains, he continued his volunteer membership until 2010 serving communities in the Campbelltown, Hawkesbury, Singleton, Cessnock and Maitland Local Government Areas.  

In 2003, Martin joined the NSWRFS as a staff member as a Fire Mitigation Officer (FMO), Martin has fulfilled many roles within the NSWRFS over the past 18 years. In 2017 Martin started in the Lower Hunter District as the Acting District Manager and June 2018 was appointed the District Manager in an ongoing capacity.  

Over the past 30 years Martin has been involved in many operational roles within the Rural Fire Fighter stream and including Incident Management Teams. He has also spent a considerable amount of his career in the preparedness, in Risk Management and Community Engagement.  

Paul joined the NSW RFS in 1998 and has remained an active volunteer with brigades on the Central Coast. In 2008 Paul became a staff member, working as a fire mitigation officer and development control officer in the Lower Hunter, Hornsby Kuring-Gai and Gosford Districts.  

Paul worked through the Operational officer Program to become a District manager in 20018 and moved across to the Hunter Area Command as the Community Risk Manager in June 2020.  

Paul has always had a passion for bush fire risk management, Community engagement and fuel reduction.  

Jayson joined the local Bushfire Brigade in Katoomba as a junior member in 1986. In 1994 he commenced his salaried career in the NSW RFS as the State Operations Support Officer, at the same time spending a short time in the Army Reserve and training as a helicopter crewman. After a year in HQ he commenced as the Deputy Fire Control Officer at Singleton, followed by the same role at Port Stephens five years later. He continued with Aviation and became an Air Attack Supervisor.  

In 2003 Jayson became the District Manager at Cessnock and shortly after the Zone Manager, Hunter. After a restructure in 2007 he became the Zone Manager of the Lower Hunter Zone where he remained for 10 years. In 2017 Jayson became the Manager of Region East, in the 2019 Area Management Model he took on the role of Hunter Area Commander. In 2020 Jayson commenced in the role of Director Area Operations, North.  

During Jayson’s career he has completed many appointments as an Incident Controller, in the order of 900 hours as an Air Attack and completed a Master of Business Administration (Leadership). Jayson was awarded the Australian Fire Service Medal in 2015, he also has been awarded the National Medal, NSW RFS Long Service Medal, ACT Emergency Medal, the NSW Premiers Citation and two Unit Citations within the Commissioners Internal Service Awards.  

Ms Rebel Talbert was appointed as the NSW RFS’s first female Assistant Commissioner in November 2015. She is currently Director Community Risk, responsible for Predictive Services, Fire Trails and Bush Fire Risk Planning. In 2017 AC Talbert was appointed as the Director Regional Services, responsible for all Regions in NSW with over 72,491 volunteers from 2,029 brigades across the state, as well as 600 staff from 45 Districts.  

During bush fires, AC Talbert undertakes the role of State Operations Controller in State Operations, where she has the responsibility for supervision and coordination of NSW RFS operations to control bush fires in NSW.  

AC Talbert holds tertiary and post-graduate qualifications in emergency management and public communication. In 2013 she was awarded a NSW RFS Commissioner’s Commendation for Service. AC Talbert is a long standing volunteer firefighter with Kenthurst Rural Fire Brigade.