Kia ora,
I developed a real passion for emergency management during a fairly extensive career in the NZ Police, where I worked in various response, investigative and supervisory roles. Risk awareness, planning, preparation, response and management of critical incidents became a natural default, and is what really makes me tick professionally.
During the Canterbury earthquakes I was based in the area where the epi-centre of the Feb 22nd earthquake was centred - so I experienced first hand, as a resident/community member and an emergency services responder, the trauma, complexities and challenges of a major disaster - both personally and professionally. The earthquakes, aftershocks and related incidents were without a doubt some of the most the most challenging yet fulfilling roles and situations I dealt with in 2 decades of policing. This period really intensified my interest in disaster/emergency management.
After leaving Police, I began a role as a training facilitator and consultant, to help enable the safety and security, and safety culture of teams. I work voluntarily as a surf life guard and on a surf club SAR team, so get involved in emergency management/response/training etc at that level also.
As well as the practical side of things, I'm qualified in CIMS 2, CIMS 4, and Emergency Operations Centre Level 2, and am an adult trainer.
Looking forward to the course!