Bob Upton – Outstanding Contribution Award for emergency management

Former regional Civil Defence Group Controller, Bob Upton, was recognised with an Outstanding Contribution Award at this week’s Environment Canterbury meeting. Bob Upton’s colleagues and wife Rhonda were also present for the commendation.

Dame Margaret Bazley, Chair of Commissioners, said that Bob Upton had discharged his role throughout his career and the recent earthquakes in an exemplary way. “You served us and the people of Canterbury with distinction.”

She noted the length of Bob Upton’s service to Civil Defence – from the late 1960s working on flood response in Marlborough, co-ordinating the 1975 wind-storms response in Canterbury, leading the re-writing of the regional Civil Defence Plan and Standard Operating Procedures for the Regional Emergency Operations Centre in the early 1990s and as the Alternate Regional, Christchurch City Council and Banks Peninsula District Council Controller in 1992. He retained his voluntary Alternate Controller role until 2004. He also assisted in writing the exercise instructions for regional and local emergency management exercises over this time.

He took on his recent regional emergency management Group Controller position in 2004.

“The most significant response he led until the current series of earthquake responses, was the snow emergency of June 2006,” said Dame Margaret. “It was during this time he set the standard for large-scale, regional emergency responses in New Zealand. That event occurred within a fortnight of the Christchurch City Council amalgamating with Banks Peninsula District Council and taking on the responsibility for its Civil Defence emergency management functions, including the function of Local Emergency Management Controller, freeing Bob and the Regional Emergency Coordination Centre (ECC) to focus on strategic planning and support to local responses – without recourse to a declaration of a state of emergency during that event.

“More recently, Bob has been Group Controller for both September and February earthquakes. In February, one of his first jobs was to shift operations to Canterbury University due to the Civil Defence Emergency Management bunker being compromised by the Copthorne Hotel. A combined centre was set up where Bob assumed the role of one of the Directors of Operations working alongside the City Council Controllers who also became Operations Directors.

“Bob’s contribution to Civil Defence Emergency Management has not ceased with his retirement, as he has recently been appointed as Civil Defence Emergency Management Group Welfare Manager, in a more part-time capacity. Bob, on behalf of the commissioners, Chief Executive and staff I would like to thank you for what you have undertaken in Civil Defence Emergency Management,” said Dame Margaret.