Bushfires, cyclones and floods can change people’s lives forever. But when the flames are out, the sirens fade, and the roads reopen, the impact is far from over. In fact, that’s when the huge task of recovery begins. Deputy Commissioner Mel Pexton, who happens to be the highest-ranking female at Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES), leads the teams who helps communities rebuild after a disaster, which is a process so complex that can sometimes take years.
Bushfires, cyclones and floods can change people’s lives forever.
But when the flames are out, the sirens fade, and the roads reopen, the impact is far from over. In fact, that’s when the huge task of recovery begins.
Deputy Commissioner Mel Pexton, who happens to be the highest-ranking female at Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES), leads the teams who helps communities rebuild after a disaster, which is a process so complex that can sometimes take years.
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Credits:
Host and producer: Silvana Pulitano
Guest: Mel Pexton
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Transcript:
For a full transcript of this episode, visit: https://bit.ly/3Va8ff0
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This episode may contain reference to traumatic events. Listener discretion is advised.
Visit https://www.dfes.wa.gov.au/copyright for copyright information.
[Silvana Pulitano, Podcast Host] You're listening to Mics and Sirens, the official podcast of the Department of Fire and Emergency Services in Western Australia. DFES acknowledges the traditional owners on the land on which this podcast is created, the Whadjuk people.
[Sirens sound while news footage of fires play]
[Mel Pexton, Deputy Commissioner] One really vivid memory was having this very long conversation with this lady who had waited to come and speak to me personally. I walked her out to her car, and she had pretty much masking taped up her front windscreen because it had been impacted and she'd actually driven two hours to come and meet with me. If there's ever a reminder of the responsibility that we all hold in supporting community members, it was that. I was tired. I was staying up at night thinking about this. But you look at one lady who you're sort of putting back in the car and thinking, what is she driving home to? What is this going to mean for her? And how do we help these people?
[Silvana] We often see images and hear stories about the real-time impact catastrophic events have on people. Bushfires, cyclones and floods; they can change people's lives forever. But when the flames are out, the sirens fade and the roads reopen, the impact is far from over. In fact, that's when the huge task of recovery begins.
My guest today leads the team who helps communities rebuild after a disaster - a process that can sometimes take years. Mel Pexton has more than 20 years’ experience in emergency management, and she happens to be the highest-ranking female at DFES. Here's the Deputy Commissioner of Strategy and Emergency Management.
Mel, thank you for joining me. I wanted to start with your role as Deputy Commissioner. You were appointed in 2022. A huge part of that role is overseeing recovery. And I guess people think that DFES is a response agency, which it is. But there's so much that goes on behind the scenes. Do you want to talk about the role of recovery in emergency management?
[Mel] Yeah. Thank you. Recovery is a really critical component to making sure that those communities that have had major emergencies, and they've been impacted in quite different ways, have an opportunity to get back up on their feet. And whilst it seems like a relatively new role for DFES, it is such a natural extension of the incredible service I think that we already provide in response. People know who people from DFES are. They recognise all of the uniforms. They know that people are there to help them in their time of need, and recovery is just an extension of that amazing service that I think we provide. So we have a team that actually work with our first responders so that we can understand what's happening during the response phase, but then we stick it out for the long haul with those communities to make sure that we can try and get them back up on their feet.
[Silvana] How long could that process take?
[Mel] It can take a really long time. So I was the Seroja State Recovery Controller before this role and that occurred in 2021. We have only in the last month closed down the final grants for that particular community.
[Silvana] Wow.
[Mel] So recovery is as long as it takes. And I think that's a really big commitment by DFES and all of our staff to recognise that our relationship with community is going to now extend beyond fixing the hazard, if you like, or combating that hazard and actually being part of communities, until we get them back up on their feet.
[Silvana] Speaking of Seroja, the damage bill exceeded $400 million. That level of damage is hard to comprehend. Can you paint a picture of what you saw on the ground?
[Mel] Yeah, it was quite overwhelming at first. I will be honest for a couple of reasons. One is it actually impacted 16 local governments in the Mid West, which is a really large number. It's a huge landmass. And also we don't traditionally see cyclones come down that far in WA. We have had some previous cyclones, and I met many, many residents that were impacted by Seroja in the Mid West, who talked about cyclones like Alby many, many years ago that even went down further. But that means that their homes aren't built necessarily to the same standards that we would expect in the northwest, where we do see cyclones cross the coast more. So, the scale of that impact was significant. We know from our rapid damage and then further assessments that over 2,200 structures were damaged. And just because of the size of the landmass. I think we'd all be familiar when we see cyclones in the Pilbara or the Kimberley, we see palm trees swaying in the breeze. [Laughs] We've got this real imagery that we sort of associate with cyclones in WA. It was very fascinating to be up in helicopters early on in that first week, looking at rural landscapes, you know, big farming infrastructure, sheds, cattle, fences, and you're looking at cyclone damage. So, as I said, a huge number of infrastructure, over 2,200 structures that were damaged, but also in just such a different landscape that I think we've had to tackle here in WA.
[Silvana] So how does leading an operation like that take place? So you go to Kalbarri, what happens next?
[Mel] Yeah. So we always talk about recovery starting at the same time as response. I thankfully was appointed only five days post impact. And of course one of the beauties I think of recovery sitting inside DFES, unlike some other jurisdictions where they're separate agencies, is I was able to really embed myself in the operational decision making. So I wasn't making decisions at that point, but I could really understand what was happening in those communities. The context of Seroja was such that we'd had Covid. For DFES, only eight weeks prior to Seroja we'd had the Wooroloo bushfire, and then Seroja hit. So there was a number of complexities for our crews and for the communities in Western Australia, because they were either in lockdowns or were facing another hazard that we haven't experienced being Covid. So from my perspective, getting early understanding, what does that look like? Kalbarri had been locked down the year prior because of Covid, so they're relatively a tourism town, for example. They really were concerned about being closed off for a long period of time. And these are the nuggets that you start to pick up as we're going through that response. Response lasted for six weeks, for Seroja because of that significant nature we discussed.
[Silvana] Did you stay there for the six weeks?
[Mel] Yeah. I wasn't based there. I was coming backwards and forwards. So I was meeting with people on the ground, attending community meetings. I was establishing a team. We actually employed local people to be our community recovery officers in the region for hubs we set up in that region, but I was able to use that response time to really get the lay of the land, reach out to local governments, understand what their capacity and capability was, because ultimately, we know we're going to be there, as we discussed, for the long haul. So what are the right structures, resources? What is it that we're going to need to enable us to support these communities? And that really takes place in that first sort of four to six weeks, so that we can get the right things in place to really make that work.
[Silvana] Has there been an incident that, Seroja aside, an incident that you have been part of, or that you've led that keeps you up at night? That you still think about?
[Mel] Seroja is the one. [Laughs] It felt like a bit of a, pardon the pun: baptism of fire. I think because of some of those complexities I talked about. You found yourself feeling like you needed to be in multiple places at once. You know, the role in taking on that controller role at the time, was quite a public one because of the nature of the event. And there was a lot of community need. And, you know, you can - it's very hard to move at the pace that community members expect. And so there was some really interesting moments for me, I think, where, for example, we were seeing that there were a lot of people that, their insurance was probably not enough. They were underinsured. We also knew that because cyclones don't traditionally come through that part of the world, whether or not their insurance was going to cover the damage that they had experienced to their homes, sheds their livelihoods. And I do remember standing in a community hall, it was the RSL Hall at Northampton, and having a line out the door of people just pretty much walking in with their insurance papers and just seeking guidance and advice. I am not an insurance broker. I am not an insurance expert. And these are the things that you realise people just really need help and guidance on things that, you know, aren't my role to provide advice on, but we certainly then needed to pivot and make sure we could bring in experts. We could do some workshops with people. We had those contacts available for people.
And one really, you know, one really vivid memory was having this very long conversation with this lady who had waited to come and speak to me personally. And then I realised she was struggling to sort of gather her papers, and she looked like she had, herself was struggling to walk. I walked her out to her car, and she had pretty much masking taped up her front windscreen because it had been impacted. And she'd actually driven two hours to come and meet with me, and have these conversations. And if there's ever a reminder of the responsibility that we all hold in supporting community members, it was that. I was tired. I was staying up at night thinking about this. But you look at one lady who you're sort of putting back in the car and thinking, what is she driving home to? What is this going to mean for her? And how do we help these people?
[Silvana] Is there a rule book?
[Mel] No. [Laughs] There is. There is in sense. And I think those lessons are really, really important. I think it comes with experience. If someone had've asked or told me three years ago that you would have been leading a major recovery operation, I think I probably would have laughed. But I do think that those curiosities and being passionate about supporting community, having a broad network, understanding that it isn't a one-person job. It is very much a collective effort is really, really important.
[Silvana] What are the biggest challenges you've yourself witnessed with recovery?
[Mel] Yeah, I think insurance is really a growing concern for us, and we are working really closely with the Commonwealth Government at the moment about that. You know, given the changing climate that we're all seeing, the nature of these events, Seroja's just one example where we're seeing cyclones in the Mid West, and, you know, the projections around that are that they will be more frequent. So I think that insurance is a really big factor for us going forward. You know, people, I think and I know I've been guilty of this, until Seroja, you pay your insurance, you lock it in, the renewal notice comes and off you go. You know, we really need to understand that as individuals. What are those things that we can do ahead of time to make us a little bit more resilient? And that's not just about then - where we need to meet people. You know, we really need to meet people where they're at. And if some of that preparedness work hasn't been done, or if they're not in a place where they can make those decisions for themselves, that's a real challenge. So insurance is definitely a really, really big one that I think is sort of bubbling away. That's going to become a really big issue.
[Silvana] Have you had a situation where you've gone to - you're appointed as Incident Controller. You go to a remote area. Logistics are just a nightmare, and you've got to get creative. What do you do in these situations?
[Mel] Yeah, you get creative. [Laughs] That's what you do. I remember walking into the Shire of Perenjori. They had a staff of three. Our current advice to them is that they stand up some committees and what they stand up four committees, for example. We look at recovery in the context of different domains. So what are the social impacts to a community? What are the environmental impacts? What are the economic impacts? And then what are the impacts to your built environment? Our sort of best practice says put one of your councillors on each of those committees and then come together. This CEO was standing waiting for me pretty much out the front of his office when we drove in for the first time, and he said, "I've read your policy. And we don't even have that many staff. What are we going to do?" So, you know, it's not necessarily the logistics of it. It is those people who are going to step forward in these events who just genuinely were like, "I'm trying to do the best I can, but, you know, this isn't going to work for my community." And I think, honestly, that, you know, the reason I'm so passionate about this work and are so grateful that we get to do this work, is that I'm a big believer that communities are incredibly resilient. They often have the answers, and it really is our role to come in and facilitate that good work that can be done and to remove barriers where they exist. It would be the worst possible outcome that as a State Government representative, we're imposing those barriers on people. And so those quick relationships and building rapport become really important to try and empower communities to get on and do the best they can.
[Silvana] So how does DFES and your team work with communities that are impacted to make sure that their voices are heard?
[Mel] Yeah. We look at context. There are some recovery principles. First principles for me always, and the first one in recovery is understand the context. What works in Seroja may or may not work in the Kimberley floods. What works in the Kimberley floods, may not work in our most recent event, like a microburst in the Perth Hills. So understanding what that community makeup is, is really, really important. If I take the Kimberley floods, for example, we're talking about remote Aboriginal communities. English in some instances, is a second language. Local governments aren't necessarily as connected to those communities that they are responsible for. And so you do sometimes have to get creative in understanding what are those needs. But then also how are we going to - if we're going to work with these people for nearly 3 or 4 years, what are the structures and how can those voices be heard? If I take the Kimberley flood, in our current policy, it says that local governments are responsible. We knew that we needed more voices in those conversations. So we actually stood up a Fitzroy Flood Working Group, which was representative six of the Aboriginal groups in that area, and they chose their leaders to come. We use them as a really guiding light in terms of what their needs were, checking in on decisions that were being made either at a local government, State Government or even in some instances, a Commonwealth Government level. And they are still working in this space at the moment. I'm actually meeting with their executive officer tomorrow. So understanding that creating space for those voices is really, really important. And I've always been a big believer that the policies, the rule books, can be changed to meet needs. So we shouldn't get stuck thinking that, well, the rule book says this. If we need to adjust, or pivot, then that's the best outcome. And once again, it's removing more barriers like I mentioned earlier, so that we can get better outcomes for communities.
[Silvana] And I guess the local people are the ones with the local knowledge and it's impacting them. So that's why that's so important.
[Mel] It's so important. I just always think in emergency management we talk about the before, the during and the after. Previously DFES were there during. Now we're actually there before and after. And funnily enough the people who are there consistently are community members. [Laughs] They know more, they understand their context, they may not have our expertise, but then there needs to be that real marriage then of what that looks like.
In community development circles, they often talk about marrying the wisdom of community with the knowledge of experts. And I really love that quote, because I would never walk in and think for a second that I understand what it feels like to live in Fitzroy Valley and Fitzroy Crossing. And similarly, I know through building those relationships that those people have no understanding of what it means to be a Deputy Commissioner. So, you know, making sure that we use a strengths approach to really think about how we can come together to get, once again, those best outcomes.
[Male Narrator] Working as a firefighter at the Department of Fire and Emergency Services in WA is a career where you get to help keep the community safe every day. So, are you a team player, resilient, compassionate, and courageous? If that sounds like you, come and join us! Visit the DFES website: www.dfes.wa.gov.au, to find out how you can join the frontline.
[Silvana] This is Mics and Sirens. I'm here with Deputy Commissioner Mel Pexton, talking about recovery and emergency management. Take us back to the start of your career.
[Mel] Yes.
[Silvana] Can you talk us through your career journey?
[Mel] Yeah. So I started with FESA. It was, so the precursor to DFES. As the community safety educator, for those who are listening from DFES, I was a level two officer. And the Old Perth Fire station, which is still there now, is a education centre and museum, and I used to take school groups and community groups through and do tours. [Laughs] Educating people about what it means - and kids - what it means to be fire safe. So, I can tell you to, you know, drop, cover and roll, and I can tell you to get down low and go, go, go. And - the time I was thinking I was going to be a teacher. I was studying. And I thought that was a really lovely way to marry, again: two worlds that I was looking at. And little did I know that, emergency services would suck me in. From there, I spent the first half of my career looking at community development. So in FESA at the time, it was community safety. And I got to, pre-kids, travel and visit all of our amazing volunteers and work with communities and other partners, if you like, thinking about how we can communicate risk and what people need to do to get ready. And what I started finding was that communities recognised some of the stuff that we were really trying to force on them.
If I take cyclone-prone communities, they often live there, you know, they know the risk, but they also love fishing. And they love that they get up early and they finish work early, and they have a lifestyle that they appreciate. Of course, our angle is but you've got to be ready. And sometimes people misunderstand that that's complacency when in actual fact they're making choices. Yeah. And so when I was confronted with that, I thought, right, so how do I challenge that? And so then moved into emergency management.
I spent a bit of time there and implemented the policies around the Emergency Management Act, which came in in 2005, and then stepped sideways as we transitioned into DFES and went and worked for local governments in the Western Australian Local Government Association. So for my sins, I realised that, you know, I'd written these policies, but then got down to the local level and went, oh, I can see some lessons that we need to learn. And rejoined DFES four years ago.
[Silvana] Do you remember the moment when you got the call, or the email, to say, you're our new Deputy Commissioner. What was going through your mind in that moment?
[Mel] Yeah. The Commissioner actually came and visited me. I was working at our Como office, which is where our State Recovery team are based. I'd been waiting to find out what that looked like, and he rang me and said, "I'm on my way. I just need to come and talk to you about some things." And he gave me the news. I'll be honest, it was an overwhelming pride. I've been at this game since 2001, and I've taken a number of roles. I don't mind taking risks. I don't mind jumping in feet first. And I'd probably say that applying for the Deputy Commissioner job was very much in that same vein. Let's go in. And yeah, it was an overwhelming sense of pride, I think, for all the hard work. Yeah. And then the opportunity that that provides.
[Silvana] Do you remember who your first call was?
[Mel] To my husband. [Laughs] Definitely. Absolutely. And then my mum. Yeah, absolutely. Family and friends. It's sort of the backbone and the support that you need in these times. But yeah, incredible pride.
[Silvana] Does a lot of pressure come with that title?
[Mel] I don't necessarily see it as pressure. I think it's a real insight for me around responsibility and accountability. You know, I've always admired strong leaders and people who are willing to stick their hand up. I think that, you know, it's a role that you shouldn't just think has a title. I think, you know, for me, I've always sought out roles that are meaningful, and where you get to make an impact. So I wouldn't say it's the pressure, but I do, from time to time, find myself in rooms where I think, oh, this is a big job. [Laughs] Yeah.
[Silvana] You're the highest-ranking female in DFES. And the first female Deputy Commissioner. Describe in one word, if there is one word, what that's been like.
[Mel] One word's hard. I have really mulled over this. I think for me, insightful, becomes the key word for me. I'm a really curious person. I've never been operational, so, you know, I'm - I have an emergency management background. I haven't been a frontline responder. And so I say insightful because when you are a senior leader in an organisation and you're thinking about the myriad of roles that we perform, I probably didn't have the understanding of our career Fire and Rescue female employees. Volunteers are amazing. I think, you know, I've been so heartened to see that some of these volunteer crews, you know, - if you looked at my Facebook feed, it's really just volunteer brigades, groups and units. You know, we're seeing all female crews turn out in these areas. So, I think insightful's the word. What are the joy and the privilege of the job? I don't focus on gender a lot. However, the joy has been, I think, how meaningful this appointment has been for other women, and it's been an absolute pleasure to get to meet many of those employees and volunteers.
[Silvana] Has the role of women in emergency services changed in that time?
[Mel] Yeah. Look, I can't really talk to the last three years apart from the insights that I've certainly seen. I think we've got a lot of work to do, I think it's fair to say. I think that it's really pleasing, like I said, in the volunteer space, to see that we're seeing really good representation of females. And it also is wonderful because we provide a community service. So, you really do want to represent the communities that you serve. I think we've got some work to do in the career Fire and Rescue Services. It's been 6%, I think, females in that workforce for quite some time.
[Silvana] Is that for Western Australia?
[Mel] Yes, yep, in our service. And that's certainly for the three years I've been in this role has been pretty much the same. So I do think we've got some work to do there. But, you know, the women that I have met are incredibly inspiring. They've given me their time and their insights and nothing but support for those crews.
[Silvana] What advice would you have for women in your position, who are wanting to, I guess, break barriers in emergency services?
[Mel] Yeah, just do it. [Laughs] Just do it. I think, you know, one of the challenging parts of my job is trying to explain things that you probably do intuitively, or that inherently is just a core value. And so I always find these questions the hardest to respond to. So thank you for asking me. I genuinely think you just do what you do. I think inherently people who are drawn to particularly leadership roles, you know, they've got that professional integrity, they want to get outcomes, they want to do what's right. And I would just say to all women, you know, I know it's in us so just do it.
[Silvana] Would the people who knew you as a child, as a teenager, expect you to be doing what you're doing.
[Mel] So interesting. I have a beautiful core group of girlfriends who I've known since primary school. We are actually all celebrating a very large milestone birthday this year. And, I was talking to them about coming and having this conversation, and, the general principle was, I can't believe we're old enough to have a job that's this important. But the other side of it is, I think they certainly would say that I would be a leader of some sorts. Whether or not I'd be sitting as the Deputy Commissioner in a uniform is of great debate and many laughs. But yeah, I think definitely in a leadership role.
[Silvana] You're also a mother, to two teenage boys. How do you juggle it all?
[Mel] Yeah, I think it's another question I get asked a lot. I have been very lucky. My partner and I - my husband, have always been people who work. I actually, over breakfast this morning said to my 20-year-old and my 16-year-old, how would you answer this question? My 20-year-old said something really insightful, which was, "Mum, I don't know any different."
So I've always been a mum who is probably better as an employed mother, [laughs] than a stay-at-home mum and I value everyone's choices. I know for me, I need my brain active and I need to be doing this work. So, it can be a juggle. I think there's no way getting around that. But I also know it's a juggle for my partner and my husband, and at various times we've taken a step forward or a step back to support each other in continuing to make career advancements, if you like. But also with a commitment that we chose to have children and that we want to be there for our boys. So yeah, I'm sure my youngest one did comment that. I'm often late picking him up for things, and it was a gift when the 20-year-old got his license because he could do some heavy lifting in that space. But, look, I think, you know, your family choices, it's a commitment again. And that open communication and making sure that, you know, you do what's right for you, I think is really important.
[Silvana] Do you see any of them following in the same path?
[Mel] No, not as yet. I mean, I think they certainly, you know, when I was little, I was probably called bossy. But, yeah, they don't mind being event coordinators and, you know, rustling their friends and getting things done. But yeah, we'll see. I think there's still a way to go yet on what that looks like.
[Silvana] What have you been most proud of in your career?
[Mel] Oh, that's a big one. What am I most proud of? I do - not only because we're talking about recovery, but I think that uplift in capability for DFES and the service that we are providing. I am so incredibly proud of my team. You know, I'm very lucky that I get to sit here and talk about this, but, you know, there's a lot of heavy lifting by clever, clever people committed to the roles that have really taken what we were setting out to do. And on the daily - literally daily – are making improvements and getting fabulous outcomes for communities. So I definitely would say that recovery is certainly one of my proudest moments.
[Silvana] I guess it's hard to answer when you're in the role, but is there something when you speak about your role to other people that surprises them?
[Silvana] Yeah, I think you made reference earlier about just DFES and the fact that, you know, you must be the person who holds the hose or, you know, do you sit in the Triple Zero Call Centre, is some things that people talk to me about. I think emergency management, you know, is a growing sector. And as I indicated, I haven't held a hose. I haven't done that side of the business. But I think the fact that it is such a growing, developing, you know, body of work and a real big focus for us about, you know, how we get other government agencies ready and how we can communicate these really, really important roles and what we do. Yeah.
[Silvana] Is there any other job or industry that you could see yourself in? I know you mentioned that you thought you would be a teacher.
[Mel] I did my first prac and realised I probably wanted to be the principal. So I realised that that's probably not the gig for me. Look I enjoy leadership, I really enjoy leadership. I think emergency management offers you an incredible skill base. You know, the complexity that we deal with, the time-critical decisions that we make on very limited information. I think, you know, sometimes I do ponder the thought that, you know, what would it look like to be in another government agency where you're not on the - on that ticking clock of a, you know, an imminent hazard or really where you've got life-threatening things? So, look, I've always been really passionate about community. I always think that, you know, maybe in another life I would probably be doing something along those lines. But, you know, whilst I have a milestone birthday, there's a long way to go yet. [Laughs]
[Silvana] Mel, thank you so much for joining me. Very insightful. Loved hearing about your career, amazing career that you've had. And you're a role model for women.
[Mel] Thank you so much for having me. It's been a pleasure.
[Male Narrator] Are you looking for fast, accurate and official information, that helps you to make informed decisions to stay safe during an emergency? The Department of Fire and Emergency Services Emergency WA app lets you set up watch zones for places important to you. So if an emergency happens in your watch zone, you'll receive alerts and warnings. The best part? It's sent direct to your mobile device. Download DFES' Emergency WA app from the App Store or Google Play today.
[Silvana] Thanks for listening to Mics and Sirens. I'm your host, Silvana Pulitano. Join us in the next episode where we take a dive into the future of emergency services, and how it's changed over the last century. For more information on this episode, visit the show notes.