Andrew Gissing

Researcher
About
Andrew Gissing

Andrew is Director Government Business and Enterprise Risk Management at Risk Frontiers. He is an emergency and risk management expert.  Andrew has performed various senior executive roles in the emergency management and social services sectors, including as the Deputy Chief Officer of the Victoria State Emergency Service and Director of Risk Management for the NSW Department of Family and Community Services.

Andrew is passionate about risk management and his main interests lie in enhancing the capability of organisations and communities to manage risk and ultimately enhance their resilience. Andrew is known for his strategic thought leadership, and in the provision and implementation of end to end management solutions, including cultural change.

Andrew is an experienced crisis leader having held senior state-wide leadership roles during some of Australia’s most significant natural disasters such as the ‘Pasha Bulka’ Storm (2007), Black Saturday Bushfires (2009), and the Victorian Floods (2010/11). He has been author of state-wide disaster plans, policies and resilience strategies, for which he has received several awards.


Andrews’s significant professional experience is complemented by his academic achievements having completed a Masters of Science (Honours) Degree and a Bachelor of Economics Degree. Andrew is also a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a certified business continuity practitioner.


Project leadership

Over three years, the project focused on the nature of catastrophic disasters and how they are conceptualised in the Australian context; the historical frequency of compound disasters in Australia; the most appropriate practices to plan and prepare for catastrophic disasters; and how businesses and community organisations can best be incorporated into planning and preparedness arrangements for catastrophic disasters. The key finding from this research is that existing principles for disaster planning and risk reduction are not effectively implemented to develop plans that consistently inform decision making. To improve this, a key utilisation output from the research has been an emergency management capability maturity assessment tool that can be utilised by governments and organisations to better understand potential capability gaps in the context of severe-to-catastrophic disaster scenarios. Outcomes of the research were presented as evidence to the Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements.
Research team:
The research was completed through the Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC's Tactical Research Fund.
This project was completed with the support of the CRC's funding for quick response.
Research team:
This project was completed with the support of the CRC's funding for quick response.
Research team:
Risk Frontiers and Insurance Council of Australia staff visited Townsville on 11 and 12 February 2019, supported by a grant from the Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC. The aim was to undertake unstructured interviews with residents and business operators to gain preliminary insights into impacts and responses to warnings and to examine initial recovery.
This project was completed with the support of the CRC's funding for quick response. It investigated the impacts of the January 2020 bushfires in NSW.
This project was completed with the support of the CRC's funding for quick response. It investigated the immediate impacts of the March 2021 NSW floods.
Research team:
27 Aug 2019
The connection between disaster planning, capability and capacity are essential, but often...
Increasing Emergency Management Capacity Through Business Sector Involvement
19 Sep 2018
The resource capacities of emergency management organisations are geared around managing relatively...
Influence of Road Characteristics on Flood Rescues in Australia
19 Sep 2018
Vehicle-related flood fatalities and rescues are a significant emergency management and road safety...
19 Sep 2018
It is important to consider how future catastrophic disasters might be shaped by choices we make as...
An analysis of human fatalities and building losses from natural disasters in Australia
29 Jun 2017
Who is most at risk? Why? What are they doing? How have vulnerability and exposure trends changed...
Would You Drive Through Flood Water?
18 Aug 2015
Floods are the second highest cause of death from natural hazard events in Australia following...

Resources credited

Type Released Title Download Key Topics
HazardNoteEdition 12 Aug 2021 What can we improve now to prepare for future catastrophic and cascading disasters? PDF icon Save (615.37 KB) capability, emergency management, policy
Product 29 Jul 2021 Capability Maturity Assessment Tool File Save (1.14 MB) capability, emergency management, policy
HazardNoteEdition 08 Oct 2020 How do road characteristics influence flood fatalities? PDF icon Save (820.34 KB) communication, decision making, flood
External Resource 31 Jul 2020 Readiness for the next major bushfire emergency emergency management, fire, fire impacts
HazardNoteEdition 17 Mar 2020 A step towards zero: understanding preventable residential fire fatalities PDF icon Save (875.58 KB) fire, risk analysis, vulnerability
Presentation-Slideshow 27 Aug 2019 Whole of Community Approach to Planning and Capability for Catastrophic Disasters PDF icon Save (1.6 MB) capability, planning
Presentation-Slideshow 30 Jul 2019 Evidenced based capability maturity assessment for severe to catastrophic events PDF icon Save (938.83 KB) capability, planning
Presentation-Slideshow 20 Jun 2019 Evidenced based capability maturity assessment for severe to catastrophic events PDF icon Save (1.96 MB) capability, planning
Presentation-Slideshow 08 May 2019 Evidenced based capability maturity assessment for severe to catastrophic events RAF May 2019 PDF icon Save (1.3 MB) capability
Presentation-Slideshow 19 Sep 2018 Adoption of a strengths-based approach to address catastrophic disasters PDF icon Save (1.73 MB) emergency management, planning
Presentation-Slideshow 19 Sep 2018 The Hawaii Nuclear Alert:How did people respond? PDF icon Save (964.71 KB) planning, response
Presentation-Slideshow 18 Sep 2018 Tourist responses to the Lombok Earthquake, 2018 – Rapid Assessment Study PDF icon Save (1.91 MB) earthquake, response
Presentation-Slideshow 16 Apr 2018 Planning and Capability Requirements for Catastrophic and Cascading Events PDF icon Save (1.22 MB) capability, emergency management, planning
Presentation-Slideshow 25 Oct 2017 Planning and capability requirements for catastrophic and cascading events PDF icon Save (1.07 MB) capability, multi-hazard, risk management
Presentation-Slideshow 07 Sep 2017 Sheltering during floods: experiences of residents and businesses in the Northern Rivers region PDF icon Save (760.42 KB) communities, flood, severe weather
Presentation-Slideshow 07 Sep 2017 Rapid response study: 2017 NSW heatwaves PDF icon Save (152.17 KB) communities, severe weather, vulnerability
Presentation-Slideshow 07 Jul 2017 Communicating and warning: getting the message across more effectively PDF icon Save (4.79 MB) communication, flood, warnings
Presentation-Slideshow 07 Jul 2017 Lightning presentation: planning and capability requirements for catastrophic and cascading events PDF icon Save (1021.56 KB) capability, emergency management, multi-hazard
Presentation-Slideshow 18 Apr 2017 Planning and Capability Requirements for Catastrophic and Cascading Events PDF icon Save (1005.5 KB) capability, emergency management, multi-hazard
Presentation-Slideshow 18 Apr 2017 An Analysis of Building Losses and Human Fatalities from Natural Disasters PDF icon Save (5.22 MB) economics, multi-hazard, risk analysis
Presentation-Slideshow 18 Apr 2017 Using Realistic Disaster Scenario Analysis PDF icon Save (1.62 MB) emergency management, modelling, scenario analysis
HazardNoteEdition 13 Oct 2016 Where, why and how are Australians dying in floods? PDF icon Save (867.95 KB) decision making, flood, warnings
Presentation-Slideshow 01 Sep 2016 An analysis of human fatalities from flood hazards in Australia,1900-2015 - Katharine Haynes PDF icon Save (1.28 MB) education, flood, policy
Presentation-Slideshow 17 May 2016 An analysis of human fatalities from flood hazards in Australia, 1900-2015 PDF icon Save (1.78 MB) emergency management, flood, risk analysis
Presentation-Slideshow 03 Sep 2015 An analysis of human fatalities from flood hazards in Australia 1900-2014 PDF icon Save (1.39 MB) flood, risk analysis, risk management
HazardNoteEdition 27 Aug 2015 Learning from the past, planning for the future PDF icon Save (166.29 KB) modelling, multi-hazard, risk analysis
Presentation-Audio-Video 02 Jul 2015 Using realistic disaster scenario analysis File Save (0 bytes) emergency management, modelling, scenario analysis

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