About Us
Board Member
John Pappas -
Queensland Fire and Emergency Services
John Pappas is an Inspector with Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) and is responsible for the Operations Business Management portfolio in North Coast Region. This portfolio includes corporate governance, fleet, business planning, capital works and procurement for 48 sites across a region that includes the high growth areas of the Sunshine Coast, Hervey Bay and Bundaberg.
His interest in firefighting started in March 1994 when he joined the (then) NSW Bush Fire Service as a junior member in northern Sydney. This proved to be the catalyst of a career, and he commenced with the ACT Fire Brigade in 2002. In 2011 John was promoted to the rank of Station Officer and, in 2014, transitioned north accepting a position with QFES.
John is known for his strong business acumen and strategic foresight and holds formal qualifications in Government, Emergency and Firefighting Management as well as a Bachelor of Emergency Service and a Graduate Diploma in Strategic Leadership.
He is a strong supporter of equality and inclusiveness and has been a member of WAFA since 2017. John is a QFES Ally of Inclusion and embraces and promotes the fairness, equity and inclusion programs of QFES as well as initiatives to develop staff including the Step Up! and QFES Transforms through Leadership programs.
John is also a member of the International Association of Women in Fire & Emergency Services; the Diversity Council of Australia; the Australian Institute of Emergency Services and is an Associate Fellow of the Institute of Managers and Leaders.
Away from firefighting John has an interest in the moving camera having had a concurrent career in television production between 1998 and 2014. He was heavily involved with the Olympics broadcast movement for the 2000 Sydney, 2004 Athens, 2006 Torino Winter and 2008 Beijing Olympics.
To escape reality, John frequents his ancestral roots in the Mediterranean and tours the world by motorbike.