Protecting communities - reflections on a career in emergency services

In 1989, a chance encounter whilst out walking his dog one night in his hometown of Clarendon, South Australia set Daniel Austin, NSW State Emergency Services (NSW SES) Deputy Commissioner of Operations, on his long and distinguished emergency services career path. He just didn’t know it at the time.

NSW State Emergency Service

The NSW SES is a volunteer-based agency providing 24/7 emergency assistance to the NSW community in a storm, flood or tsunami event –and the past 2 –3 years have been incredibly busy. With approximately 10,000 highly-skilled volunteers (supported by 300-strong staff), NSW SES also provides the majority of rural general rescue efforts including:

• Road accident rescue

• Vertical rescue

• Bush search and rescue

• Evidence searches (both metropolitan and rural) and other forms of specialist rescue that may be required due to local threats.

• Volunteers in a number of isolated communities have been trained as Community First Responders by Ambulance Service of NSW.

“I was 14 years old and some local volunteer firefighters happened to be out training. Someone came and asked me if I had ever thought about joining the fire brigade. And the short answer was no. But I decided to become a volunteer with the Country Fire Service (CFS) soon after and learn what it was all about,” he said.

Now, more than 30 years later, Daniel has worked in both volunteering and career roles with SA CFS and WA Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) across a variety of areas including training, prevention, operational planning, as well as broader leadership roles in both regionally based and headquarters roles. He has played a key role in some of the nation’s biggest natural disasters including the 2005 SA Eyre Peninsula bushfires, 2009 Black Saturday Victorian bushfires, 2011 WA Margaret River bushfires, 2015 Tropical Cyclone Quang and 2019/20 NSW Black Summer bushfires.

Daniel joined NSW SES in late 2019 and in his role as Deputy Commissioner, he leads operational activity and coordinates with other agencies to ensure a whole-of-government response to flood, storm and tsunami events. Over the past two to three years, he has been instrumental in leading the NSW SES response to the flood disasters across the State. Although on the job experience taught Daniel how to manage emergency incidents and keep ‘a steady hand in tough situations’, he strongly believes education strengthened his career in the sector.

“I took three years to complete the Bachelor of Emergency Management by distance education at Charles Sturt University, and I still look back on it as providing some of the key learning moments in my career,” he said.

Daniel’s mentors challenged his original notion that ‘response’ was the key to success in emergency services. Instead, he was encouraged to understand the value of prevention and preparedness and how educating communities helps to mitigate disaster risks. The humanitarian aspect of Daniel's emergency management degree further embedded this mind shift and has been a guiding principle in his career ever since.

“One of my former managers had a saying: ‘Screaming sirens and flashing lights are not a success sign - they are a sign of failure’. One of the most important roles of any emergency service is in educating communities and building resilience,” he said.

When asked about the challenges facing emergency services, Daniel flagged the significant change in scale and scope of emergencies and the ability for both the community and emergency services to adapt swiftly.

“Last year. the NSW SES responded to more than 80,000 requests for assistance (3,800 flood rescues), utilising a staggering 370,000 volunteer hours across the state. As an emergency service, we must be able to sustain this assistance and support to communities in the future,” he said. Reflecting on his career, Daniel said he’s had some truly amazing experiences.

"I first saw the Sydney Opera House when I was deployed from SA to assist NSW during the 1994 bushfire crisis, and I was provided incredible learning opportunities when visiting my counterparts in Europe to learn more about their approach to flood mitigation,” he said. But these experiences pale in comparison to the satisfaction Daniel gains from interacting with NSW SES volunteers.

“It's the pride I get from seeing our “Orange Army” helping their communities in their time of need,” he said.

Daniel encourages anyone passionate about helping others to pursue a career in emergency services.

“It's not about medals and recognition. Whether as a volunteer or as a professional career, you derive a deep sense of purpose from helping people on what can often be the worst day of their life. You go home at the end of the day knowing that you've made a real difference in your community,” he said.