John is the Chief Fire Officer for the Queensland Fire Department. The Chief Fire Officer is a statutory position and delivers independent advice to the Commissioner to shape the continuous operational improvement of the Queensland Fire Department. Specifically, his functions include providing advice about the fire services, including matters relating to service delivery, operational culture, best practice and innovation and research.

John has been heavily involved in domestic and international disaster assistance for 25 years deploying to disasters nationally and internationally on numerous occasions. John led the Australian (AUS-1) Urban Search and Rescue Team for 15 years and has assisted more than 20 countries in Urban Search and Rescue capability development. John is currently co-chairing an international team coordinated by the United Nations to review coordination and assurance standards for global disaster assistance. In addition to formal fire and emergency management qualifications, he holds two master’s degrees, is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and has been awarded the Australian Fire Service Medal.

John has had an opportunity to learn from many high performing leaders during disaster operations and enjoys applying those learnings to everyday situations.