Shane Fitzsimmons is the Head of Resilience NSW, the lead disaster management agency in the state, and Deputy Secretary, Emergency Management with the Department of Premier and Cabinet. Previously the Commissioner of the New South Wales Rural Fire Service, he came to represent the face of the brave first responders during the 2019/2020 NSW bushfire disaster.
In 2016, Shane was appointed Councillor of the Royal Humane Society of NSW Inc. In 2001, he was awarded the Australian Fire Service Medal (AFSM), and in 2020 was named the NSW Australian of the Year. At the forefront of such catastrophic events, Shane helps us to understand the way we cope with disaster and the trauma that can last in its wake.
