 Prior to his involvement in emergency management, he worked in various fields including the finance industry.Koperberg fought his first bushfire as a teenager on the South Coast in 1959.He joined the North Springwood Bush Fire Brigade (now Winmalee Rural Fire Brigade) as a volunteer in 1967, working his way up to become captain of that brigade in 1969 and fire control officer for the Blue Mountains Fire Control Officer between 1970 and 1982.