David Parsons has had an extensive career in the field of emergency management at local, state and national levels as well as the corporate sector.
David has served as a Regional Emergency Management Officer in NSW, managed Sydney Water’s Emergency Management and Counter Terrorism Program, and regulating emergency management in the mining industry with the Dept of Planning. In parallel he has served for over forty years as a senior State Emergency Service volunteer.
David has had extensive involvement in national programs including serving on the Critical Infrastructure Advisory Council, National Chemical, Biological Radiological and Nuclear Committee and chairing the National Organisational Resilience Workgroup.
David has had extensive experience in developing and conducting training programs, planning and facilitating exercises and performing roles in Incident Management and Crisis Management Teams. David managed Australia’s deployment of 600 water industry workers and trucks to Christchurch to restore essential services. He has also conducted multinational exercises and worked extensively with public safety teams in New Zealand, Canada and the United States.
David’s knowledge and experience has been shared through involvement in numerous educational institutions including Charles Sturt University’s School of Policing and Security Studies, Massey University’s Joint Centre for Disaster Research, Queensland University of Technology’s School of Public Health and the former Australian Emergency Management Institute.
David has co-authored a range of publications including Beyond Command and Control – Leadership, Culture and Risk and Disaster Health Management – A Primer for Students and Practitioners.
David has spoken at more than 40 international conferences in the areas of emergency management, business continuity, organisational resilience and crisis leadership.
David is an Honorary Fellow of the Business Continuity Institute, Fellow of the Australian Institute of Emergency Services and Member of the International Association of Emergency Managers.
David has a completed a Master in Emergency Management, Leadership in Crises Program at Harvard University, Emergency Management Fellowship at Emergency Management Academy, New York, Bachelor of Education, Lessons Learnt Program – North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and has a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment.
