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HAND-OVER OF FIRE TRUCKS TO THE VANUATU FIRE SERVICE
MONDAY 16 JANUARY 2006
Minister for Internal Affairs, the Hon George Wells
Political Advisers
Director-General Johnson Wabaiat
Acting Commissioner of Police, Arthur Coulton
Visiting officers of the NSW Fire Brigade
Fire Chief, Lieutenant Bomma
Officers, men and women of the Vanuatu Police Force
I am very happy to be here today to formally handover to the Vanuatu Fire Service these two reconditioned fire control vehicles and a very substantial range of fire-fighting equipment which are a gift to Vanuatu from the NSW Fire Brigade.
This gift completely re-equips the Vanuatu Fire Service, a Vanuatu Police Force service which, as recent events have demonstrated, is critical to Vanuatu’s development and critical also to the peace of mind of the people of Port Vila.
Just to give you some idea of the scale of this gift, besides the vehicles it includes 50 sets of uniforms, 30 helmets, several portable pumps, fire hoses, spare parts and other equipment for the vehicles, and, importantly, two weeks of professional training in the use of all the new equipment by two officer-trainers from the NSW Fire Brigades, Leo McCrory and Leonard Murphy. There is also the promise of a brotherly relationship between the NSW Fire Brigade and the Vanuatu Fire Service in the future so that important practical issues, such as the provision of further training and spare parts can be addressed.
Today does not of course mark the end of all the Fire Service’s problems – some, such as water pressure, are out of its hands, but it does, I hope, mark the beginning of a focused effort by all sections of the community in Port Vila to solve these problems in the knowledge that Australia, through the NSW Fire Brigades and others, will be doing all it can to support the Vanuatu Fire Service. I should note the generous offer of Bodiam Engineering to maintain these trucks free of charge from now on.
It is important I think to now try to make the Fire Service work efficiently within the Vanuatu Police Force which groups together all Vanuatu’s emergency services. Apart from the obvious managerial advantages and administrative economies of including the Fire Service within one unified Police Force chain of command providing emergency services, the Fire Service is easily able, under current arrangements, to call in help from other areas of the Police.
I am very pleased that many VMF have been participating in the training courses the NSW Brigades have been conducting in using the new equipment. Resource problems mean that at any one time, only two professional Fire Service officers are on duty and, if there is a serious fire, these officers will require outside help that’s disciplined, trained and available at any time. Keeping the Fire Station at Cook Barracks and training Police Force members, particularly VMF, so they are able to help the Service do its job has obvious advantages.
I hope all this equipment will be well looked after and I hope the Fire Service and all elements of the Police will seize all the fire training opportunities that are now coming their way. I hope the Vanuatu Fire Service is able to make the most of its new relationship with the NSW Fire Brigade. And most of all, I hope this important project will become a symbol of Australia’s willingness to provide useful help to Vanuatu when it is most needed.
On a happy occasion like this, which has been the result of a lot of hard work by a lot of people in Vanuatu and Australia, I have many people to thank.
Firstly, I thank the NSW Fire Brigade for providing the carefully reconditioned trucks and all the equipment as well as making available two of their trainers, Leo McCrory and Leonard Murphy.
Secondly, I thank AusAID for paying for the freight of the trucks to Vanuatu
Thirdly, I thank the South Pacific Geoscience Program – SOPAC- for meeting the costs of the training
Fourthly, I thank the Minister For Internal Affairs, the Acting Commissioner of Police and the officer commanding the Fire Service for their enthusiastic support of this project
Fifthly, I thank the Acting Commander of the VMF for encouraging his men to take part in fire service training, and as a resident of Port Vila, I thank each and everyone of you who undertook the training and
Last and certainly not least, I would like to place on record my gratitude to the Australian Defence Advice staff in Vanuatu, and particularly to Major Lindsay Conway, for bringing this project to life in record time as an urgent response to an urgent problem. As my list of thank-yous indicates, a lot of people have been involved, and it was Major Conway who brought them all together - no obstacle has stood in his path for long. Most of us know Major Conway is due to leave Vanuatu next month. This project is the first important step towards transforming the Vanuatu Fire Service into a modern, well-trained and well-equipped fire service. If the strong partnership of Vanuatu and Australia revives the Fire Service in the years to come, Major Conway will have done a lot to make this happen.
Thank you.
JOHN PILBEAM, HIGH COMMISSIONER