Winner and finalists
About the Lessons Management Award
AFAC, along with member agencies, has recognised the continued need to develop lessons management capability across the fire and emergency services in Australia. The AFAC Lessons Management Community of Practice develops and advocates approaches that support the development and sharing of good practice in knowledge management, lessons management, innovation and cultural practices that support our business at all levels.
Award winner
From lessons identified to change delivered in City of Moreton Bay: A systemic lessons‑to‑action model following Tropical Cyclone Alred
City of Moreton Bay
Following Tropical Cyclone Alfred in March 2025, the City of Moreton Bay implemented a structured lessons‑to‑action lessons management model to ensure post‑event learning translated into measurable organisational change. The project shifted lessons management from a traditional report‑based approach to a governed, evidence‑driven system embedded within executive decision‑making and continuous improvement processes.
There were 10 structured debriefs involving councilors, council staff, local disaster management group members and external partners captured 848 de‑identified observations. These were consolidated and analysed to identify systemic themes and organisational risks. Each validated lesson was deliberately assigned to a defined action pathway, ensuring clear ownership, accountability and delivery through business‑as‑usual activities, strategic projects, planning, doctrine or capability development.
Supported by a Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed framework and executive oversight, the model ensures lessons are tracked through to implementation. The project has strengthened organisational resilience, improved workforce confidence and provides a scalable, transferable model for lessons management across the disaster management sector.
For further information about the project contact: DisasterManagement@moretonbay.qld.gov.au
Award highly commended
Sector wide lessons implementation
New Zealand Land Search and Rescue
In 2025, New Zealand Land Search and Rescue (NZ LandSAR) undertook an ambitious initiative: sector-wide implementation of a standardised lessons management process across the New Zealand search and rescue (NZ SAR) sector.
Historically, lessons data within the NZ SAR environment were captured inconsistently, often remaining within individual agencies or groups. There was no shared system, common language, or structured mechanism for cross-agency learning. As operations became increasingly complex and multi-agency in nature, this fragmentation created risk and duplication of learning.
From a lessons perspective, insights generated within one agency are often directly applicable to another. Increasingly, lessons arise from joint operations. A collaborative, sector-wide lessons approach was therefore logical.
Our journey began in 2023 with the development of NZ LandSAR’s own Lessons Management Framework. The research and design phase included engagement with organisations across New Zealand and Australia, focusing on those that:
- operate with a large volunteer base
- manage geographically dispersed membership
- use systems capable of scaling across multiple agencies.
As a federation, we have limited authority to mandate process adoption. Volunteer buy-in is critical. The innovation was therefore not simply procedural — it was cultural. The framework had to be practical, psychologically safe, and valuable enough that volunteers would choose to engage.
Between 2024 and 2025, we implemented:
- An observation capture platform (from ISW)
- A structured post-operation review process
- Facilitator training for post-operation reviews
- Updated hot and post-task debrief processes
- A lessons identified newsletter titled ‘Our Stories’
- An e-learning package for volunteers
After piloting these internally, we began a cross-agency soft launch. NZ Police were invited to facilitator training, and we supported major post-operation reviews, enabling them to observe the full lessons cycle in practice.
With senior police support established, we had some momentum. In March 2025, Mark Cuthbert delivered the keynote address at our national conference, attended by leaders from partner agencies, reinforcing the strategic importance of collaborative learning. This momentum led to multiple sector-wide presentations and demonstrations.
In February 2026, all 4 non-governmental organisations and the 2 coordinating authorities jointly agreed to adopt the same lessons framework across all agencies for the management of SAR lessons data. This represents the first coordinated attempt to establish a shared lessons capability across the NZ SAR landscape — shifting from siloed reflection to structured, cross-sector learning.
Subsequently, we have submitted a joint business case to the NZ SAR Council to fund this implementation across the entire sector. It is one of the few truly collaborative applications ever presented to the SAR Council and is already influencing broader thinking about how agencies can work together more strategically.
Finalists
Whakaari/White Island Eruption Recovery Evaluation
Northland Civil Defence Emergency Management
TBC
Australian Maritime Safety Authority evaluation and lessons management
Australian Maritime Safety Authority
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has delivered a step-change in organisational learning through the establishment of a mature, contemporary lessons management capability led by the Lessons Management and Evaluation Team. This initiative demonstrates excellence in leadership, innovation, and disciplined delivery, significantly strengthening how operational insights are translated into measurable improvement across the organisation.
Over a 12-month period, the project transformed lessons management from a fragmented activity into a coherent, agency-wide system. AMSA’s first end-to-end lessons framework was designed and implemented, defining clear lifecycle stages—from capture and analysis through to validation, actioning, monitoring, and assurance. Standardised tools, templates, and debrief guides were introduced to improve consistency and data quality, while reducing friction for frontline users and operational leaders.
A distinguishing feature of the project was the rapid and responsible integration of artificial intelligence into lessons analysis. Delivered in under eight weeks, the AI-supported pilot enabled faster identification of themes and emerging risks from operational debriefs and reports, reducing analysis time from weeks to days. Importantly, strong governance, transparency, and human-in-the-loop oversight ensured sensitive operational data was handled safely and ethically, establishing a benchmark for responsible innovation.
The project also delivered a measurable cultural shift. Through targeted engagement, training, and leadership briefings, lessons management was reframed as a forward-looking improvement tool rather than a compliance exercise. Participation in debriefs increased, lessons now flow consistently into planning and readiness cycles, and actions are tracked centrally with greater accountability.
Collectively, this work positions AMSA at the forefront of contemporary lessons management, delivering sustained organisational learning, faster decision-making, and demonstrable improvement in operational readiness.
Should you wish to learn more about this project or lessons management at AMSA more broadly please contact dorothea.huber@amsa.gov.au.
From real events to real change: Embedding lessons management through integrated exercising
Logan City Council
Logan City Council has transformed how disaster management exercises are used, shifting from compliance‑based activities to a deliberate, system‑wide lessons management approach.
Following ex-Tropical Cyclone (TC) Alfred, Council identified recurring challenges in decision‑making, information flow, escalation, and the transition from response to recovery. Rather than continuing to run isolated exercises, Council redesigned exercising to test whether lessons from real events had genuinely been understood and embedded across the whole system.
In partnership with Phoenix Resilience, council co‑designed, delivered and evaluated an integrated exercise program in 2025. The program intentionally linked the Local Disaster Management Group, Local Disaster Coordination Centre, Crisis Management Team (responsible for strategic decision‑making and business continuity across council operations) and Local Recovery Group through a series of connected exercises. Lessons identified from ex-TC Alfred were built directly into exercise scenarios, injects and evaluation frameworks, ensuring learning was tested in practice—not just documented.
This approach delivered clearer, prioritised and more actionable lessons. It improved decision‑making at key transition points, strengthened coordination and situational awareness between groups, and provided executives with better visibility of how strategic decisions affected operational and recovery outcomes.
Importantly, the model reduced duplication and exercise fatigue while maximising learning outcomes. It is practical, scalable and sustainable, using existing governance frameworks and retaining organisational ownership of lessons.
The initiative demonstrates how councils can move from repeatedly identifying the same issues to genuinely embedding lessons learned, strengthening crisis and disaster management capability across the sector.
For further information about the project contact disastermanagement@logan.qld.gov.au.
Development and implementation of the lessons management framework for disaster management in the Queensland Police Service
Queensland Police Service
The Queensland Police Service’s Emergency Management and Coordination Group has developed a lessons management program to strengthen how learning from disaster operations is captured, prioritised, and translated into practical improvements. The program has been designed to embed learning into preparedness and disaster operations activity across Queensland’s disaster management arrangements.
At the centre of the lessons management program is the lessons management framework, a principles-based approach designed for complex operational environments. The framework provides foundational principles which promote a learning-focused, inclusive and systems-thinking mindset, while maintaining consistency, transparency and accountability.
A key innovation is the integration of lessons management into live State Disaster Coordination Centre activations. Lessons are captured in real time through structured observations, digital tools, capability debriefs and stakeholder engagement using an appreciative inquiry approach. This ensures learning reflects genuine operational demands, decision-making challenges and inter-agency coordination pressures.
An important program enhancement, introduced for the 2025-26 higher-risk weather season, has been the integration of risk assessment into the lessons management process. This approach enables senior leaders to prioritise actions based on risk, reinforcing transparency and trust across operational teams. The program continues to be matured and improved including exploring the potential for AI and other emerging technologies to inform data analysis, insights generation and reporting mechanisms.
By embedding learning, risk-based prioritisation and accountable action into business as usual, the lessons management program is delivering sustained improvement and provides a transferable model for the broader disaster management sector.
For more information contact the Lessons Management Team at DMLessons@police.qld.gov.au.
2025 Inland Rivers Flooding – Successfully implementing the end-to-end lessons management process
SA State Emergency Service
The SA State Emergency Service (SA SES) is proud to share how the end-to-end lessons management process was successfully implemented for the 2025 Inland Rivers Flooding event.
From March 2025, extensive and prolonged flooding occurred in the Lake Eyre Basin across north-eastern SA. Flood waters impacted approximately 2,500km of roads, disrupted critical transport routes, and resulted in the isolation of the township of Innamincka. Pastoral operations across more than 100,000 km² were affected with 2,600 cattle isolated across 18 locations.
SA SES operations focused on coordinating relief, resupply and recovery across a remote and logistically complex environment. Key activities included, for the first time, aviation-based resupply using a National Emergency Management Agency-contracted Black Hawk helicopter, emergency fodder delivery and livestock relocation, protection of critical oil and gas infrastructure, and the construction of temporary flood barriers to safeguard the township of Innamincka and protect essential community infrastructure.
A comprehensive lessons management process was undertaken resulting in 5 debriefs, 546 observations, 62 insights, 30 lessons, and 41 recommendations.
The lessons management process identified the operational challenges of managing a prolonged inland river flood event. It highlights the value of shared intelligence, coordinated communications, sustained community engagement, and the early integration of recovery functions, including the successful use of a Deputy Chief of Staff – recovery role during extended flood operations.
The Inland Rivers Flood event has demonstrated the full functionality of SA SES’s WebEOC Lessons Management Board and the agency’s end-to-end lessons management processes, that have ensured that lessons learned are consistently integrated into the agency’s operations.
For further information about the project contact Sarah.Ridgway@eso.sa.gov.au.
City of Gold Coast Disaster and Emergency Management Unit lessons management framework
City of Gold Coast
The City of Gold Coast Disaster and Emergency Management Unit (DEMU) has delivered a leading‑practice lessons management framework that is transforming how disaster learning becomes real‑world improvement. Built in response to major, compounding events - including the February-March 2022 floods, the 2023 Christmas storms and TC Alfred - the framework provides a consistent, transparent method for identifying, prioritising, progressing and embedding lessons across the organisation.
At the core of the approach is a clear shift from recording observations to driving outcomes. Each lesson is assigned ownership, tracked through to completion and validated through training, exercising and operational application. A dedicated lessons management dashboard provides senior leaders and operational teams with real‑time visibility of progress, recurring themes and risk, enabling confident, evidence‑based decision‑making and targeted investment.
Since implementation, DEMU has managed 59 lessons arising from major activations and exercises, with more than half completed and embedded and the remaining lessons actively progressing. Importantly, the framework has been refined and tested across multiple activations, proving its scalability, resilience and value in high‑pressure, dynamic environments.
For further information about the project contact DEMU@goldcoast.qld.gov.au.