Fire Australia 2022: for industry insights and innovations

FIRE AUSTRALIA 2022

FOR INDUSTRY INSIGHTS AND INNOVATIONS

The largest fire protection conference and tradeshow in the Southern Hemisphere is back in Melbourne with a thoughtprovoking program of speakers. After last year’s successful return to Sydney, Fire Australia is back in Melbourne this year, with a conference program that caters to the needs of fire professionals and a tradeshow that showcases the best in the industry.

HAJNAL NAGY

FPA Australia

Fire Australia 2022 Conference and Tradeshow is just days away, and we are looking forward to seeing members and supporters at Australasia’s largest fire protection industry event.

From 3 to 5 May, the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre will host leading industry experts discussing the future of the industry, giving insights into regulatory change and guiding practitioners with informative technical sessions.

Our keynotes include: „ Andrew Cialini, Victorian State

Building Surveyor, talking about his state’s regulatory future „ former NSW Deputy State Coroner

Hugh Dillon, who will discuss what coroners look for in their cases, drawing from his experiences with the Quakers Hill nursing home and

Bankstown apartment fires „ futurist and demographer, Bernard

Salt, discussing what trends say the future may hold „ Inspector John McDonagh, who will walk us through some real-life videos to show what firefighters are looking for when they attend a blaze, and what they hope fire systems may do.

Our odd-numbered breakouts look at where the industry is headed, considering fire safety in complicated buildings, the role of owners, risk and liability, bushfire safety. They also include workshops on skills, women in fire and mental health.

Our even-numbered breakouts take a more regulatory direction, including Bronwyn Weir updating us on progress with the Building Confidence report and discussions about the National Construction Code and standards, balancing sustainability and safety and the role of digitisation.

Our technical stream covers most areas of interest, including future trends with sprinklers, fire safety in megastructures and automated buildings, and how to manage interfaces, among others, with continuing professional development points available.

Fire Australia 2022 offers significant opportunities for networking, with a welcome cocktail event, the Fire Australia Conference and Awards Gala, and a free barista service. The dinner, at the Palladium, Crown Melbourne, will once again recognise leaders in the industry and raise funds for our charity partner, the Fiona Wood Foundation.

The tradeshow will showcase the latest in fire protection, with over 80 stands demonstrating some of the most innovative solutions and newest technologies.

Attendees can also cap off their conference experience with one of our site tours (see page 28), which will give them some insights into large systems and fire safety testing.

It will be a busy and rewarding three days—we hope to see you there!

PRESENTERS

ANDREW CIALINI

State Building Surveyor, Victorian Building Authority

As the State Building Surveyor, Andrew Cialini is an industry advocate for building surveyors and building practitioners across Victoria. He brings a wealth of knowledge to this important role, with more than 30 years’ industry experience as a building surveyor, as well as roles in the private sector as a structural design engineer and as an adviser to the Government of South Australia. Mr Cialini is passionate about the industry and its future. He has led the creation and implementation of the Code of Conduct for Building Surveyors to improve standards, trust and oversight in the building industry and help keep Victorians safe. He is also driving new career pathways to address the critical shortage of building surveyors. Active participation with industry is fundamental to his role and he chairs several state government committees and engages regularly with industry associations, forums and working groups.

HUGH DILLON

Former Deputy State Coroner, Coroners Court of NSW

Hugh Dillon retired as a Deputy State Coroner and magistrate at the end of 2016. In his nine years as a coroner, he managed about 6,000 cases and conducted about 300 inquests and fire inquiries. He is now an Adjunct Professor at the University of New South Wales Law School. He is co-author of Waller’s Coronial Law and Practice in New South Wales and The Australasian Coroner’s Manual. He is now working on a PhD concerning the NSW coronial system.

BERNARD SALT AM

Executive Director, The Demographics Group

Bernard Salt is widely regarded as one of Australia’s leading social commentators by business, the media and the broader community. He heads The Demographics Group, which provides advice on demographic, consumer and social trends for business, and prior to that, he founded KPMG Demographics. He writes two weekly columns for The Australian newspaper and was an adjunct professor at Curtin University Business School between 2010 and 2020. In conjunction with KPMG Australia, Mr Salt hosted a top-rated podcast called What Happens Next, which discussed rising trends and important business issues. He is one of the most in-demand speakers on the Australian corporate speaking circuit, and he was awarded the Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the 2017 Australia Day Honours.

ROB WEBB

CEO, AFAC

Rob Webb was appointed CEO of AFAC in December 2021. Previously he was Director, National Projects and Innovation at AFAC and served as Program Director for the Australian Fire Danger Ratings System. Mr Webb is an experienced leader in the emergency management industry. As Deputy CEO and at the Bureau of Meteorology for 26 years, he gained extensive experience across multiple jurisdictions covering some of Australia’s most damaging natural disasters. He specialised in extreme weather services, lead the Bureau in operations and gave expert evidence at coronial inquiries and post-event reviews. His meteorological expertise stretches from bushfires to thunderstorms, floods to heatwaves and tropical cyclones to tsunamis. He has a strong interest in social science, with a particular focus on empowering communities to make the right choices, at the right times, and he is acutely aware of the value of social capital in supporting appropriate action. He has forged strong partnerships with the emergency management sector at the local, state and Commonwealth level. Having spent a career working with state and territory emergency management authorities, Mr Webb has knowledge of the challenges facing the emergency management sector. He has experience in leveraging innovative practices to benefit multiple outcomes and understand the importance of taking a strategic view to create alignment across various activities.

BRONWYN WEIR

Director, Weir Legal & Consulting

Bronwyn Weir runs Weir Legal & Consulting, a boutique legal and consultancy firm advising government regulators. She is the co-author of the Building Confidence report. Her appointment with Professor Shergold to undertake this work reflects her reputation as a legal adviser on building regulations for more than 23 years. Ms Weir is involved in the Australian Building Codes Board’s work to develop a national framework for the implementation of the report. She has also directly advised several jurisdictions in relation to building regulatory issues, including the Victorian Government on combustible cladding and Victoria’s Building System Review Panel, the NSW Building Commissioner and the Queensland Government on security of payment. She also advises regulators in a range of other sectors including education, health, emissions reduction and solar energy.

DR RICHARD THORNTON

CEO, Natural Hazards Research Australia

Dr Richard Thornton is the CEO of Natural Hazards Research Australia (the Centre), a position he has held since it began in July 2021. He has overall responsibility for research direction and performance, as well as being the public face of the Centre. He has led the development of the Centre following the announcement of funding last year. Prior to that, Dr Thornton was the CEO of the Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC for its entire eight-year funding period. He is a research management specialist with almost 30 years in the field, including with the Bushfire CRC and Telstra.

AMANDA LECK GAICD

Executive Director, Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience

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 Australian Government through the National Recovery and Resilience Agency, to support a disaster-resilient Australia. Ms Leck 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 Country Fire Authority Victoria, local government and AFAC— the national council for fire and emergency services—prior to her appointment leading AIDR. Ms Leck has significant experience in establishing partnerships with all levels of government and the business sector, and she has demonstrated strategic leadership, executive management and corporate governance experience. Her skills include communications, relationship management and stakeholder engagement.

A mix of plenary, breakout, and technical sessions will deliver a range of relevant and interesting topics for all attendees.

PHOTO: FPA AUSTRALIA