HIS EXCELLENCY THE PRESIDENT RATU WILIAME KATONIVERE'S ADDRESS AT THE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATIONS OF FIJI’S FIRE SERVICE

The Minister for Housing and Local Government, Honourable Maciu Nalumisa;
The Assistant Minister for Housing and Local Government, Honourable Lenora Qereqeretabua;
Honourable Government Ministers;
Your Excellencies, Members of the Diplomatic Corps;
The Fiji National Fire Authority Board Chairman and members of the Board;
The Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Puamau Sowane, Members of the Executive Management Team, Staff and Officers of the National Fire Authority;
Distinguished guests;
Teachers and Students present with us today;
Firefighters, Family Members, Supporters;
Members of the Media;
Girls and Boys.
 
Miau sa bula re and Good Morning to you all! I also welcome Firefighters, Family Members, and Supporters, members of the public and the Fijian diaspora who are watching Live on social media.
 
I am indeed honoured this morning to be here at this historic occasion - the Centennial celebrations of our very own National Fire Authority.  
 
At the outset I wish to congratulate the National Fire Authority (NFA) for your resilience and commitment to the Fijian society for over 100 years. I also wish to acknowledge the Board and management on the invitation extended to me to officiate as Chief Guest at these historic Centennial celebrations of Fiji’s Fire Service.  These anniversary celebrations are a time of acknowledging and remembering the founding members of Fiji’s Fire Service who established the force from very humble beginnings.  I would like to acknowledge those who have worked over the years to ensure the longevity of and fulfil the vision for a strong legacy. 
 
The establishment of the National Fire Authority in February 1995 resulted from the need for a streamlined and an efficient national fire service. Before this, fire services were managed by respective town councils. The NFA now proudly has 21 fire stations located around the country with its headquarters located right here in Walu bay, Suva, with permanent fire-fighters managing each Station. Fiji’s Fire Service community has come a long way since its humble beginnings 100 years ago. When one reflects on the state of the world a century ago , the different technological and cultural trends that were innovative and transformative back then, are now obsolete, this makes us appreciate how Fiji’s Fire Services has evolved to remain important, relevant and current given the numerous changes over the years. 
 
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls allow me to take us back in time, to 30th November 1922, where His Worship the Mayor, the Honourable H. M. Scott laid the foundation stone for a new Fire Station for the City of Suva.  The fire station was located where we now have McDonald’s, next to Ratu Sukuna Park. Fire fighting back then was challenging work and on Saturday, 10th February 1923; a fire broke out at Cumming Street in Suva.  The Fiji Times & Herald reported on Monday, 12th February 1923 that the fire started at a combined boarding house and kava saloon in Cumming St, where a gentleman named Mithu accidently spilled a can of gasoline and attempted to investigate the spill while holding a flaming lamp. 

The result of which was one of the most tragic fire moments in the history of Suva. The Fiji Times & Herald reported that the length of time taken to respond to the fire, with an ill-prepared response team was evidence that the people of Suva and the Fire Services then were neither prepared nor aware of simple precautionary measures and the need to be prepared with correct equipment and tools when dealing with fire hazards and flammable chemicals. That catastrophe jolted the Authorities into action and by May 1923, a Suva Fire Station with a permanent and salaried fire brigade, was built and equipped with a new Dennis fire engine. At the annual presentation of trophies at the Suva Fire Station on 26th January 1968, the Lord Mayor Councillor Len G. Usher highlighted that the citizens of Suva have acknowledged that members of the Suva Fire Brigade could be relied on when needed and that members of the brigade have kept themselves and their equipment and organization up to a high level of efficiency. On 11th September 1968, construction work on the new Suva Fire Station here in Walu Bay was completed and was officially opened by the then Vunivalu of Bau, the late Hon. Ratu George K. Cakobau.
 
Back in real-time, the NFA has come a long way to reach this milestone achievement and with its many stakeholders remain devoted to its responsibility to establish and maintain an efficient and effective fire rescue service in Fiji that will protect lives, property and economic activities as legally mandated under the National Fire Service Act, 1994.   
 
Ladies and gentlemen, girls and boys, Fiji’s Fire Service is rich in history and values focussed on service excellence, discipline, loyalty & commitment, team work and innovation. A century on from its humble beginnings the NFA provides a variety of risk reduction and fire suppression services to minimise the impact of fires and other life-threatening emergencies in the community, wholly committed to prevention, preparedness, and response and recovery phases of emergency situations. 
 
The NFA’s inclusion of the provision of emergency ambulance services in 2010 was another milestone that transformed the fire service into a complete and all-encompassing national fire and emergency service provider. It is equally pleasing to note that the NFA has acquired suitable land and plans to establish more fire stations in Namelimeli (Navua), Navua CBD, Pacific Harbor (Deuba), Korovisilou (Serua), Nasaibitu (Wainibuka), Kabisi (Natadola), Keiyasi (Navosa), Navakai (Nadi) and in Tavua with plans underway to acquire some land in Matei (Taveuni) and also in Vanua Levu. The fire stations will cater to the growing population and development in these areas and most importantly improve coverage and allow accessibility of such essential services to all citizens of our beloved Fiji, both in the rural and urban areas. 
 
The NFA includes in its future plans the establishment of the first ever state-of-the-art Fire Academy at Navakai, Nadi. The Fire Academy shall serve as a hub to facilitate regular specialised training for our firefighters accommodate the many radical changes that the agency is undergoing with the ever changing emergency response needs faced by Fiji. The academy shall also serve our regional counterparts and aims to strengthen regional relationships. The Fire Academy, while it is well received, it unfortunately does not solve all the problems faced by the agency, as fire risk continues to be an area of great concern to developing nations like Fiji. This is due, in part, to the expansion of urban populations, which influences an increase in building constructions and with it the prevalence of a lack of enforced fire safety regulations.  The noncompliance to fire safety standards, the high volume of traffic and congested roads contribute to the increasing fire risks. These factors coupled with inadequate fire-fighting training and equipment, worsen and pose a greater challenge to fire-fighting in Fiji.
 
At this juncture I wish to applaud the National Fire Authority for taking the initiative to develop Fiji’s very own National Fire Safety Standards to be adopted as a supplement document to the National Building Code in order to enhance fire safety compliance in Fiji.  Analysis of the fire statistics over the last 5 years from 2018 to 2022 revealed that a total of 706 properties were lost to fires, of which 10% were commercial and industrial properties; and 90% were residential properties.  The staggering statistics of residential fires has become an area of great concern for the NFA and has forced the agency to reinforce its focus on fire safety compliance and monitoring that include inspection, certification and vetting of all building plans within legislated fire boundaries, as required under the National Fire Service Act, 1994.

Unfortunately many buildings and homes are not vetted by the NFA and therefore lack the necessary compliance approvals that add to the burden that our Fire Services currently possess as well as unnecessary strain to the NFA, which causes the constant increase in residential fires.  It is imperative that we approach new initiatives to combat and reduce these residential and unwanted fires.
 
As President of our beloved nation, I am well aware of the many devastating stories that our people experience from the loss of their homes, belongings and sometimes even the loss of life. I am also aware that the NFA offers fire safety classes to the public as well as the ‘Smokehouse programme’ and the NFA mascot Smokey which alerted children to the reality of fires and practical fire safety exercises to apply when faced with house fires. The programme enabled a female student of Samabula Primary School to save her grandfather from fire death in 2007. 
 
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, the job of a fire fighter nowadays has changed, and their job is no longer just to put out fires, it has expanded to almost becoming a part-time social worker. Fire fighting is no longer just response it is now more preventative. 
 
Allow me to digress to a crucial part of the programme – we owe it to these brave men and women, so bear with me please. The awarding of Fire Service Meritorious medals that we witnessed this morning acknowledges the bravery of these fire officers and the risks that our firefighters encounter in their line of duty and in most cases, a lot of them simply complete their duties daily with vivid memories of all the dangers and risks that they had encountered. 
 
The rescue operation at Delaikoro that occurred on 26th February 2018, exemplifies the risky operations that our firefighters are exposed to.  The difficult mountain terrain and thick forest vegetation of the Delaikoro range made the search very difficult and when the search teams located the plane, which was perched on a tree on the side of a cliff, no other agencies were able to carry out the rescue operation because of the location of the aircraft.  Hence, on 1st March 2018, the Search Command Centre met with the Divisional Fire Officer North and requested the National Fire Authority to send its rescue team to try and retrieve the bodies of the two pilots, a mission that the firefighters successfully completed skilfully and courageously. 

That team was honoured this morning with their meritorious medals. Rescue operations during inclement weather conditions are also life threatening but despite these dangers, our firefighters have braved the elements and rescued pregnant women, children and the elderlies and have taken them to safety.  There was also a meritorious medal awarded to one of the fire officers who had successfully delivered a baby in an Ambulance!! At the end of each catastrophic incident, the firefighters are always ready to reach out to the councils and communities to assist with restoration works by hosing clean the streets, pathways, cleaning out the debris left behind by flood waters or cyclones and so forth.
 
During the Covid-19 pandemic, our firefighters were at the forefront actively disinfecting vehicles, trucks, public facilities, and critical facilities.  There was even a time when one of the fire stations had to be closed due to the spread of the Covid-19 virus that found a number of the fire-fighter’s positive for Covid-19.  They were all isolated in the one station and treated until they were all cleared of the virus and the Station was then disinfected before reopening.  Such are the risks faced by our firefighters and I applaud them for their daring and selfless perspective to life.
 
Our firefighters are truly our unsung heroes who go about their daily duties ready to face any risk that may arise during their duty roster.  For them it is all in a day’s work, but for Fiji, we acknowledge with much gratitude their loyalty and courage to face whatever may come their way.  A big Vinaka vakalevu to all our firefighters and their families both here and around Fiji.  While much is expected of the NFA, much more is expected of stakeholders of the NFA. I would also like to acknowledge the partnership of the Fire Service stakeholders for their contributions to the Fire Service and I am delighted to learn of your willingness to assist the National Fire Authority in this event and also for your contribution during the past years in this journey.  
 
The government I am confident is taking strides to ensure that regulations and relevant policies are developed and passed to assist the National Fire Authority in its pursuit for preventative successes. For this to eventuate, policy reviews need to be prioritised for specialists to relook at our water reticulation system nationwide; every fire hydrant should be discharging 1,000 litres per minute; all infrastructure will need to meet regulated building standards including fire resistant levels and this includes building materials which need to be standardised; other fire mitigation standards, health & safety standards, environmental standards, are important if we are to enhance living standards and reduce property fires. 

Government through the Ministry of Housing and Local Government and the NFA will need to address these policy issues immediately and engage with foreign partners through bilateral partnership arrangements to assist Fiji’s Fire Service in the development of advanced education in fire sciences, leadership, equipment, skills development programmes, as a start. 

I encourage other stakeholders to engage with Government and the NFA to enhance the standard and quality of products that you provide for the Fire Service and for the general public. I believe that you play a key role in ensuring that relevant standards are developed and complied with for the enhancement of building standards in Fiji.  In accordance with Fiji’s National Development Plan for the next 20 years, NFA’s response time has been moved from 10 minutes to within 5 minutes of receipt of the emergency call and whilst this is the desired standard, major shortfalls continue to hinder the efficiency and effectiveness of fire service delivery.
 
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls with 100 years under its belt, Fiji’s Fire Service has done a great deal for Fiji and yet there is still much more work required for the enhancement of Fiji’s Fire Service in the next 100 years.  Learning from the experiences of the past 100 years, strategising and strengthening our policies, shall pivot the force to greater heights and will set the foundation for great success in the next century.  
 
To conclude, I personally believe that these progressive improvements should have a positive rippling effect on other critical issues that we currently face, but I have no doubt that our collective efforts can propel Fiji’s Fire Services industry to rival that of developed countries. That too can be the NFA’s vision and aim for the next 100 years! 
 
Ladies and gentlemen, girls and boys it has been my absolute honour to be part of this historic event for Fiji’s Fire & Emergency Service and I wish the NFA and your stakeholders much success and thank you for your continued commitment to the cause that I am sure will define the historic footprints into the development of our Nation and Fiji’s Fire Service into the next 100 years.
 
May God bless us all, May God bless Fiji and its National Fire Service community!
 
Vinaka vakalevu and Thank You!