2019 - Our Judges
Trent Curtin
Trent is currently the Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB) Assistant Chief Fire Officer for Fire Safety where he leads MFB’s regulatory responsibilities and approach to the built environment. In his 20 years with MFB, Trent has had previous experience in strategy, training, and community development.
Also experienced in emergency operations, Trent has held leadership positions at many large and complex emergencies including the recent Neo200 cladding fire in Melbourne. In his time working at MFB, Trent has developed a keen appreciation for the role that emergency services play in helping communities prepare for, respond to and recovery from emergencies.
Amanda Leck
Amanda is the Director Community Safety and Resilience with the Australasian Fire and Emergency Services Council (AFAC), the national council for fire, land management and emergency service authorities in Australia and New Zealand, representing 31 member organisations, and a workforce of volunteers and career staff totalling 288,000 firefighters and emergency workers.
With 20 years’ experience in the emergency management and community sectors, Amanda led the community development area for CFA, Victoria. Amanda joined AFAC in 2009 and in 2013 was appointed Director Community Safety, where she leads the community safety function and provides strategic advice in relation to risk, community safety and warnings. In 2017 Amanda was appointed as a Director of The Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience (AIDR), an operating division of AFAC.
During her career Amanda has developed extensive partnerships with all levels of Government, the business sectors, not-for-profits and recovery agencies. She has 30 years’ experience in media and communications, skills that she has been able to bring to the emergency management sector to enhance public safety.
Blake Bambridge
Blake Bambridge is based in Melbourne and has a developing background in Fire Services design across a plethora of prestigious projects and health care developments. Blake has over six years’ experience mainly focused in Sprinkler and Hydrant areas of the fire protection industry in the installation contracting sector.
His particular skills include the design of large and complex fire systems, incorporating the latest fire protection technology available.
He is responsible from the design development stage through to the commissioning of various types of fixed fire suppression and Fire Alarm & Detection systems.
Blake is conversant with Australian, New Zealand, British & American standards including F.M. Data sheets and uses the latest hydraulic computer modelling programmes to achieve the most economical fire system design. He has been involved in a number of healthcare projects in various states, territories and differing delivery models ranging from D&C to Private-Public Partnerships
Bronwyn Weir
In 2017 Bronwyn was co-appointed with Professor Peter Shergold by the Building Ministers Forum to make recommendations on a national best practice approach to regulation of the building sector. The appointment reflects Bronwyn’s in-depth knowledge of building regulation having acted over many years for building regulators, local government, fire brigades and the architects Board in Victoria. Bronwyn was a member of the Building Regulations Advisory Committee for over 10 years. She is a legal advisor to the Victorian Cladding Taskforce and is also currently advising the Queensland government on its contentious security of payment reforms. In addition to her expertise in building regulation, Bronwyn is known for her work advising a broad range of regulators on enhancing practices for effective regulation.