The knowledge and skills required for day-to-day and emergency roles don’t always overlap, but they go hand in hand when it comes to professional development and job satisfaction.
In her role as Natural Environment Programs Manager in the Barwon South West region, Donna Burns assesses activities and projects against impacts to biodiversity and provides advice to support land managers or referral authorities.
“I’ve always worked in the biodiversity area and love seeing positive environmental outcomes,” Donna said.
“I’m driven by an interest in achieving positive environmental outcomes, and I get to do that by helping projects and people balance their impact on the environment.”
One part of the role she finds most rewarding is helping stakeholders build capacity to achieve better decision making and on-ground project outcomes.
“I really enjoy working with people to help them understand the importance of biodiversity and how small changes in the way they work can protect our important environment.”
Donna holds several emergency roles, having started as a general firefighter then expanding her roles to include Logistics Officer and roles in wildlife response.
“My first experience in emergency management was in 1997 as a general fire fighter and I loved it – I loved meeting new people, being part of a large team with a collective goal,” Donna said.
Nowadays she’s most frequently called on as a Level 3 Logistics Officer. Logistics Officers are responsible for sourcing and maintaining human and physical resources, facilities and services – including equipment, medical support, accommodation and catering.
The role requires formal training, on-the-job learning through coaching and mentoring by other experienced Logistics Officers, and a formal assessment before being accredited and ready to be deployed.
Donna said the role requires a lot of problem solving, planning and organisational skills, resilience and broad shoulders. At times it also demands some adaptability and improvisation to resolve situations.
“I feel fortunate to be part of a well-connected multiagency group of Logistics Officers who always make time to share information and their knowledge to support each other,” she said.
“I still love my emergency management roles today and continue to build experience from the various emergencies that I get deployed to.
“The challenge of stepping outside of your comfort zone makes you grow and learn new things. Most importantly, you learn about yourself and how you operate as a leader.”
Donna has been deployed to various incidents across Victoria and interstate, supporting incidents including fires, floods, storms, cetacean events and border patrol during the Coronavirus pandemic. She has also been deployed internationally, including to British Columbia (2018) and Alberta in (2023) in Canada.
Reflecting on how the day-to-day and emergency roles intertwine, Donna noted two similarities were good problem-solving skills and being able to deliver in short timeframes.
“I’ve had to learn to trust myself and my abilities and to embrace challenges, pushing boundaries to become even more effective as a person and in the role,” she said.
“I feel very fortunate to get a great deal of satisfaction that I’m part of supporting the community – in both my day-to-day role and my emergency role.”
Page last updated: 04/06/24