By KATH GANNAWAY
A HEALESVILLE resident working at the forefront of bushfire management has been awarded the prestigious Australian Fire Service Medal in this year’s Australia Day Honours.
David Nugent had very little time to rest on his Australia Day laurels making an early start to duties as Incident Controller at the Woori Yallock CIC the next morning as fire crews worked on the Powelltown fire.
Mr Nugent works for Parks Victoria and the award recognised his leadership and contribution to improved management of Victorian forest fire fighting over more than two decades at a local, national and international level.
He said fire management has been part of his life since studying as a forester.
That has included time on summer fire crews when he was at university to front-line fire fighting, incident management, including at the State Control Centre, and what he calls his ‘day job’ as acting manager of Parks Victoria Environment and Heritage Division.
His award citation noted his commitment to improving how fire agencies prepare for and manage fires as what sets him apart from other fire management personnel.
“He has worked tirelessly to bring local CFA brigades and Parks Victoria closer together, forging invaluable relationships and promoting a culture of collaboration,” Minister for Environment and Climate Change Ryan Smith said.
Mr Nugent said the award was an honour, and humbling in the sense it was recognition of the work he and others do.
“We do this because we think it’s an important thing for both the community and how we manage the bush as well,” he said adding that Australia was recognised world-wide for its fire management.
“We lead the world in how we manage our bushfires and manage fire in our environment,” he said.
