Members recognised for Cyclone Debbie deployment

You are here:

Member News image Scott Hamilton, David Stevenson, Colin Brown, David Harris and Peter Creak with Chief Officer Jason Heffernan

CFA members deployed to Queensland in 2017 to provide planning and recovery support after ex-Tropical Cyclone Debbie have been presented with National Emergency Medals in recognition of their efforts.

Tropical Cyclone Debbie, a category four cyclone, was the deadliest cyclone to hit Australia since 1991.

It made landfall on the central Queensland coast, near Airlie Beach, about midday on 28 March 2017.

From 29 to 31 March 2017, the weather system generated significant heavy rain and major flooding in the heavily-populated areas of South East Queensland and Northern NSW.

The impact was widespread and devastating. The storm caused A$3.5 billion in damage and fourteen deaths, primarily as a result of extreme flooding.

The Queensland authorities needed help with recovery efforts, and emergency agencies from across the country heeded the call.

What followed was the largest mobilisation of recovery personnel from multiple jurisdictions in our history.

The cyclone was declared a nationally-significant emergency on 20 March 2020 paving the way for the awarding of National Emergency Medals to those who supported the recovery efforts.

CFA members Scott Hamilton, David Stevenson, Rob Symonds, David Harris and Colin Brown were deployed to Incident Management Teams in areas including Brisbane, Mackay, Logan and Maryborough, whilst Commander Peter Creak took up a role as Interstate Liaison Officer, overseeing the interests and welfare of Victoria and Tasmanian personnel.

The Victorian contingent also included members from FRV, Parks Victoria, DELWP and EMV.

CFA’s recipients were presented with their medals by Chief Officer Jason Heffernan at a special ceremony on 10 February at Quest Burwood East. You can view their deployment details below.

Watch the presentation

In honouring the members, Chief Officer Heffernan expressed his deep appreciation for their efforts, service and commitment during the deployment.

“Your efforts exemplify our values and mission - this is what being part of CFA is all about,” he said.

“Our colleagues in Queensland were extremely grateful for your assistance.

“This deployment provides yet another example of the community that exists within our sector and how well agencies work together regardless of what service or state they represent.”

Colin, the acting Assistant Chief Fire Officer - Regional Commander for Eastern Metropolitan Region, said he felt humbled to receive the Cyclone Debbie clasp on his National Emergency Medal.

“It doesn’t matter whether it’s in Victoria or interstate, this is what CFA members and other emergency services agency members train for – to support communities in times of need,” he said.

“Working with the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) urban search and rescue teams and seeing how they work as an independent group was a great experience.

“The resilience of the community was outstanding, and they really worked together to help each other get through this disaster.”

David Stevenson, currently a volunteer with Kerang Fire Brigade, was the only CFA volunteer deployed to the emergency. He said he felt honoured and proud to receive the award.

“It was quite a surreal experience landing in Brisbane in the middle of a cyclone,” he said.

“We definitely had to hit the ground running. The scale of the damage was enormous, but communities showed a lot of resilience in picking themselves up and getting on with recovery.”

Scott, a Brigade Administrative Support Officer in District 8 at the time of his deployment, said it was a surprise and an honour to receive the peer recognition through the medal.

“It was incredible to be a part of a multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional response to a storm and flood event, and even better was being able to work alongside people I had worked with during previous deployments,” Scott said.

“It didn’t matter what uniform you wore or if you were paid or a volunteer, we worked as one. It also shows that the principals in AIIMS are true for all emergencies.”

Assistant Chief Fire Officer Regional Commander – Barwon South West Peter Creak agreed saying it was humbling to be recognised for what was a rewarding experience.

“I was really impressed and proud of how the Victorian team worked together and alongside QFES and SES members and the Queensland community,” Peter said.

“The team was adaptable and able to put their skills to good use to get the job done. And like Scott said, it really was a great example of “we work as one.”

Assistant Chief Fire Officer Occupational Health and Safety, David Harris said he was grateful to receive the award and pleased he could help emergency services colleagues and communities in Queensland during the emergency.

“I often advise crews when they are being deployed, whether interstate or to incidents within Victoria, that they should go gently with a view only to help,” David said.

“You are invariably greeted upon your arrival by confusion, fatigue and distress. In these circumstances flexibility is the key to success.

“That’s the takeaway for me. Show up, be flexible and focus on helping them, not on helping yourself.

“If you can leave an incident and say that the situation was improved by your presence then you have done a good job.”

National Emergency Medal recipients and roles

Colin Brown

Deployed to Mackay, performing the role of Operations Officer with an incident management team. Colin was responsible for the coordination of emergency services resources (people, vehicles and aircraft) who were responding to the impacts of TC Debbie. This role had responsibility for the safe and efficient use of the resources available.

Peter Creak

Deployed to Brisbane, Peter performed the role of Victorian Liaison Team Leader at the State Operations Centre. This role had oversight of all Victorian resources deployed to Queensland and ensured that the Victorian teams were able to provide the required support to Queensland agencies.

Scott Hamilton

Deployed to Brisbane, Scott performed the role of Logistics Officer at the State Operations Centre. Scott was responsible for managing activities and resources necessary to provide logistical support to the centre. The role also provided guidance to regional and incident management teams to ensure their needs were met.

David Harris

Deployed to Mackay, David performed the role of Planning Officer with an incident management team based in Mackay. As Planning Officer, David was responsible for providing current situation updates, future incident predictions and anticipating resource requirements.

David Stevenson

Deployed to Brisbane, David performed the role of Logistics Officer at the State Operations Centre, responsible for managing activities and resources necessary to provide logistical support to the centre. The role also provided guidance to regional and incident management teams to ensure their needs were met.

**Rob Symonds who performed the role of Logistics Officer at the State Operations Centre in Brisbane was unable to attend the ceremony and will be presented with his medal at a later date.