Victoria State Emergency Service (VICSES) has announced Robert Purcell as the agency’s new chief executive, with his tenure beginning on March 11.
Most recently the director of emergency management at the Royal Children’s Hospital, Mr Purcell has more than three decades of experience in community safety and emergency management, having started his career at the Metropolitan Fire Brigade (now Fire Rescue Victoria) in 1989 and rising to key leadership roles including Assistant Chief Fire Officer and Acting Deputy Chief Fire Officer.
Mr Purcell was also formerly the head of aerodrome services and Chief Fire Officer of the Aviation Rescue and Firefighting Service at Airservices Australia.
He holds a Graduate Diploma in Management, an Advanced Diploma in Fire Management and an Associate Diploma in Applied Science (Fire Technology).
Mr Purcell succeeds Greg Leach AFSM, who in 2024 started as the new chief executive of the Country Fire Authority.
Comprising 5000 volunteers across 154 units, VICSES is the control agency for floods, storms, tsunamis, earthquakes and landslides throughout Victoria and also provides the largest road crash rescue network in Australia.
