Craig Lapsley was inaugurated Victoria’s Emergency Management Commissioner in July 2014 with overall responsibility for coordination before, during and after major emergencies including management of consequences of an emergency. His appointment falls under the Emergency Management Act 2013. As Victoria’s first Emergency Management Commissioner, Craig worked on the shift to an “all communities, all emergencies” approach to emergency management will ensure a systematic and coordinated approach before, during and after major emergencies. He was also focussed on opportunities for the alignment of strategy, planning and investment across multiple agencies, to champion unified information systems, a culture of information sharing, and a sharp and deliberate focus on better decision making with the community as a central partner in emergency management.
Career
Craig was appointed as Victoria's first and only Fire Services Commissioner in 2010 after 30-years in Australian emergency management, mostly with the Victorian Country Fire Authority including service as a volunteer firefighter. Craig finished his employment with CFA in August 2007, ranked as Deputy Chief Officer. In 1996 Craig was seconded to NSW Fire Brigades in the position of Manager State Operations for two years. He was also seconded to Victoria State Emergency Service in 2005 to transform the SES from a government department to a newly formed statutory authority. In 2007, he was appointed Director Emergency Management – Health and Human Services and was responsible for the health sectoremergency response to major incidents including mass casualty, pre-hospital and hospital surge capability. This extended to the state coordination and management of recovery arrangements for all emergencies, including recovery efforts after the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires. In 2018, Craig stepped down as Victoria's Emergency Management Commissioner. He was succeeded by Andrew Crisp who moved to EMV from Victoria Police..
