MINISTER KUMAR AT THE OFFICIAL HANDOVER OF WATER TANKER FIRETRUCK TO NATIONAL FIRE AUTHORITY

Permanent Secretary for Local Government,
Chairman of the National Fire Authority Board, Mr John O’Connor,
Respective Board Members, Acting CEO National Fire Authority,
Ms Mileta Seniroqa Management and Staff of National Fire Authority, Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Bula Vinaka and a very good morning to you all.

In today’s modern times, there are a number of emergency events in our lives that we have the ability to foresee. Then there are those that we may never be able to predict due to their nature. But in both cases, we MUST be prepared and do all we can to ensure their impacts are kept at a minimum. These events include the effective management of fires. The ability to effectively manage a fire has been credited as one of the key points in the success of the National Fire Authority (NFA) and that of 2 the Fijian Government.

To ensure NFA is able to provide this essential service, it is extremely important the organisation is equipped with the right resources. Therefore, ladies and gentlemen, it gives me pleasure to be here today to officially hand over this 20,000L water tanker fire truck, the biggest so far, to the National Fire Authority of Fiji.

Ladies and Gentlemen, You would have read about the fire that happened at one of the garment factories in Nadi last year. A factory with almost 150 staff working during the incident. We must remember that it was not only the property, equipment and workers that were at risk, but the 150 families whose livelihoods are dependent on the safety of that workplace.

At that time, NFA sought the assistance of the Nadi Town Council’s 10,000L water tank as well as Airports Fiji Limited and was thus able to contain the fire. The addition today of this 20,000L tanker means the capacity of NFA has also increased and it is now in a better position to attend to fires of greater magnitude.

Ladies and Gentlemen The Fijian Government recognizes the need to provide security to its citizens by upgrading its services. We are focused on expanding our capacity and services to every part of Fiji. We have taken a number of initiatives to proactively ensure our response to such emergences are timely and effective. 3 In the 2019-2020 National Budget, NFA has been allocated 1 million in capital grant for the procurement of essential fire equipment, fire trucks and apparatus kits to effectively equip firefighters during emergency operations. This include maintenance and upgrade of our fire stations, ensuring NFA’s services are accessible to every Fijian. Ladies and Gentlemen, Fiji’s 5-Year and 20-Year National Development Plan sets the vision of providing Fijians steady, improved, better quality and accessible Government services.

Part and parcel to this is the goal of reducing our national response time for attending fires from 10 to 5 minutes. The new, under construction enhancements to the Fire Station in Taveuni, which includes staff barracks, is another initiative we’ve put in place to help achieve this.

Ladies and Gentlemen, It is important to note that Suva is one of the most populous cities in the Pacific and the Suva-Lami corridor houses our CBD, commercial entities, large factories in Walu Bay, port facilities, schools and other large infrastructure. This means the likelihood of incidents such as fires and hazardous oil spills are higher. The new 20,000L water tanker fire truck will undoubtably assist NFA in the greater Suva area.

We have to understand that being proactive is always the best measure in dealing with disasters, as the saying goes prevention is better than 4 cure. However, we need to remember that accidents do occur and we cannot isolate ourselves from them. Instead, we should work together in ensuring we all do our part. NFA is an organisation that understands the vulnerability of lives and the livelihood of citizens in the face of a fire and it sets high standards for their protection.

Therefore, the Fijian Government continues to develop more strategic funding approaches to organizations like the NFA so that in partnership we all do our part. Ceremonies such as today’s, are important yet the real work is on you to provide the best. Challenges in the field of firefighting do not stop, you are urged to support relationships between your organization and the general public. Active community engagement is part of strengthening fire awareness and ensuring proactive measures are in place before disasters occur.

Ladies and Gentlemen I take this opportunity to thank you once again for committing yourselves in the effort to saving lives. I reiterate how honored that I am to be at this Handing Over ceremony, this morning. Before I end: To the firefighters of our country, you have worked tirelessly in the face of adversity and continue to do so. Your job is a difficult one but one that comes with great honor.

I commend you for your efforts and courage in putting your lives on the line. I can only encourage you now to bridge 5 gaps between you and the public to continually craft new and proactive approaches to reducing the risk of fires. Continue to advocate and strive to do better. Being a service provider is inherent to your mandate. I sincerely hope you continue to provide the best you can to the Fijian people.

Vinaka Vakalevu.