Meet your trainers

Get to know the team who make safety an easy process

Glenn Hickingbotham

CFA 1st Lieutenant with 25+ years experience

Glenn Hickingbotham has a wealth of knowledge and information to share, which he has gained through firsthand experience assisting those in need. 

Glenn has been volunteering with the CFA for over 20 years, and he is currently the 1st Lieutenant in his brigade, when he is not training with us. In this role Glenn is the first responder called to all different kinds of emergencies, like road accidents or rope rescues. This has given him vast experience in using a wide variety of safety equipment and providing emergency care.

Glenn has been undertaking training, and training others with the CFA for around 10 years. He has been officially delivering training as a career since 2016. He believes that teaching others is a great way to enforce his own knowledge as a trainer. 

What is your favourite part of training?

“I really love engaging with the learners. Getting an understanding about why they are in a course and what they hope to get out of it. I work hard to relate the topics to their own possible experiences based on their workplace or personal needs.”

 What is the most important advice you would give to students?

 “Engage. Really be open to learning new things, even if you have repeated the same course year after year, there is always something new to learn. Ask questions always! The only silly question is the one not asked.” 

Nicholle Gathercole

Nurse and CFA volunteer with 25+ years experience

The most important thing to Nicholle Gathercole is keeping people safe and empowering them to respond effectively in emergency situations.

Nicholle has over 25 years of experience working as a registered emergency nurse, while donating her time to the CFA volunteering as a fire-fighter and rescue operator. Consequently, Nicholle has gained a great deal of knowledge about the many varied ways people can hurt themselves and how they can react, what it can take to recover, as well how to best avoid any sticky situations. 

Nicholle has been teaching and training officially since 2017, but she has enjoyed providing on the job training and clinical education, in both formal and informal roles for almost 20 years.

What is your favourite part of training?

“The thing I love most about training is the ‘light bulb moment’ - that moment when the learner suddenly understands the information and is able to apply it confidently. At times it can also feed my childhood dreams of being an actress!”

What is the most important advice you would give to students?

 “Seek to understand rather than to just do! If you understand why certain things happen and how, then you are much better equipped to plan and respond in appropriate ways, regardless of the individual circumstances.”

Now you've met Glenn and Nicholle, why not get familiar with Our Facilities too! Or if you're ready to book in, view our Course Dates here.