Mr Anthony Dick BLANKS AFSM

Mr Blanks' distinguished career in firefighting and fire management spans over more than 30 years, initially with the Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service and presently with Forestry Tasmania. He has been a keen driver in developing effective interagency partnerships and protocols across the three main organisations that provide for bushfire protection in Tasmania - the Tasmania Fire Service, Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service and Forestry Tasmania. Mr Blanks worked tirelessly to develop the co-operative spirit which exists to ensure that the management and suppression of bushfires in Tasmania is safe efficient and cost effective.

He has the respect and understanding of all firefighting personnel, developed through his continued commitment to `working together' and the tried and tested interagency arrangements that are now known as a `best practice' model by interstate fire services and land management agencies. Mr Blanks has participated in, and supported, incident management arrangements on many major campaign fires locally, interstate and overseas. He recently retired as a member of the Board of the Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council (AFAC), but remains a member of the AFAC.