BURNING AMBITION: WOMEN IN FIRE AND EMERGENCY— ELVIRA NIGIDO, AGAS

This quarter, Elvira Nigido, Group Sustainability Compliance Manager at AGAS (Australia) discusses her experiences and opportunities in the world of fire suppression systems and halon gases.

Admiration: Who have been your greatest heroes or champions of your career?

I have had immense satisfaction over my nearly 30-year career supporting Australian and international efforts to protect the ozone layer and avoid climate change through various initiatives that achieve responsible life cycle management of environmentally harmful fire protection gases and refrigerants.

During this time, I’ve had the opportunity to work alongside and learn from several inspiring individuals and leaders. The strengths and qualities they’ve displayed by showing genuine care for the people they’ve been responsible for, and their commitment to the cause, especially during difficult times, has been very commendable. Furthermore, by providing safe work environments where it was OK not to get it right the first time and allowing learning to take place, they fostered positive relationships and optimised my potential and that of others.

Adversity: What hardships or challenges have you had to overcome?

Being a female in a very maledominated field has presented a few challenges over the years, especially around gender-related unconscious bias. Being spoken over in meetings or having others take credit for the work I had produced wasn’t fun at all. In the early days I was afraid to call it out. However, as my confidence grew with time, I would respectfully highlight that it wasn’t appropriate. Sometimes, despite best efforts and suitability, project opportunities or salary advancement were not always afforded to me and other female colleagues, compared with male colleagues. In the last decade I have seen a shift to more equitable and inclusive behaviours.

At the end of the day, and regardless of gender, everyone can bring something meaningful and beneficial to the table. It’s good to see more companies tackling unconscious biases in the workplace.

At the end of the day, and regardless of gender, everyone can bring something meaningful and beneficial to the table. It’s good to see more companies tackling unconscious biases in the workplace.

My greatest highlight has been the positive influence I’ve had on Australia having one of the world’s most recognised national halon banks! As many may know, halon is a fire extinguishing gas that used to be found in old yellow fire extinguishers and system cylinders. Halon production has been phased out for nearly 30 years, but sectors like aviation and defence still need it for some of their fire protection systems. The Australian Government maintains a national stockpile of halon for these users—the ‘Bank’. I had the fortune of starting my career shortly after the government decided to establish the National Halon Bank and I was involved in its set up. Managing and leading the Bank thereafter has been one of several career highlights.

In 2017, I was honoured and thrilled to be asked to be the Australian representative on the United Nations Halon Technical Options Committee, now known as the Fire Suppression Technical Options Committee (FSTOC), a voluntary role that I continue to carry out and take seriously. The FSTOC assesses the global production, consumption, and availability of halons and other fire extinguishing agent alternatives for halon, considering the challenges faced by various sectors in trying to find suitable alternatives.

Finally, I’ve been blessed with many work-related travel opportunities where I’ve had the chance to visit beautiful countries, and to meet and collaborate with a range of talented and interesting people!

Ambition: What advice would you give to women wanting to start or accelerate their career in fire and emergency?

Don’t be scared to back yourself!

Not everyone is necessarily a good communicator, transparent, or inclined to play fair, but continue to stay positive. To build your confidence and resilience:

„ keep an open mind to learning and never give up

„ if fire and emergency is where your passion lies, put actions in place to ensure you get the experience, education, and qualifications you need to get where you want to be

„ don’t be afraid to ask for help and guidance

„ enlist the support of a coach or mentor and have a vision and plan for yourself to get there

„ on the flip side, if you’ve been in this area for a long time, don’t underestimate what you have to offer—be a coach or a mentor, whether formally or informally. Regardless of gender and age, everyone benefits from the learnings obtained and shared from the school of the workplace and life