Basic HTML Version
9
Partnerships to manage wildfire in Samoa
Wildfire is not the first thing that comes to mind when
you think about hazards and disasters in the Pacific.
However, wildfires have caused millions of dollars
of damage to property and ecological systems in the
dry areas of Pacific Island countries and territories,
including Samoa, Fiji, Vanuatu and New Caledonia.
In Samoa, forest fires have been identified as a high
risk hazard in Samoa’s National Disaster Management
Plan 2011–2014, particularly highlighting Savai’i,
where the dry northern areas have high potential for
fires to get out of control with fire stations not in close
vicinity.
In response to the impact of the fires in Savai’i, a
process ensued to develop the National Forest Fire
Management Strategy for Samoa. The established
partnerships for management of fire included the
Samoa Fire and Emergency Services Authority, the
SamoaMinistry of Natural Resources andEnvironment
and the Metropolitan Fire Brigade in Melbourne,
Australia. However, in order to provide specific
expertise on forest and wildfires, SPC supported these
organisations to find another partner, the Victorian
Country Fire Authority. The involvement of the
Victorian Country Fire Authority ensured adequate
expertise for developing the Samoa Wildfire Strategy
and ongoing implementation plans.
The National Forest Fire Management Strategy for
Samoa, launched in October 2013, provides guidance
for best practice incident management systems.
Following the strategy, the Samoa Fire and Emergency
Services Authroity has undertaken community
awareness programs with local villages in the Asau/
Aopo area and will shortly conduct an introduction of
forest fire fighting training to volunteers within the
same area.
The partnership and resulting strategy provide a
model that could be adapted to other countries in the
Pacific with high risk of forest and wild fires.
Year 1 national resilience planning completed in Federated
States of Micronesia, Cook Islands and Palau
Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Cook Islands
and Palau are the first ACP Pacific Island states to
finalise the milestones of their National Steering
Committee, endorse a Country Implementation
Plan, and endorse a first-year work plan that sets a
framework for co-ordinated national resilience action
as a result of the EDF10 BSRP project.
Noa Tokavou, Disaster Risk Management Officer with
SPC stated that ‘FSM and Palau have completed the
first step in working towards the project goals after
which the implementation phase will commence.'
Anthony Blake, PIEMA Officer with SPC commented
that ‘the Cook Islands are undertaking this
project through an integrated approach with the
Climate Change section of Government to ensure
complementarity and efficiency of effort.'
Stakeholders contributing to resilience planning in Palau
Samoa Fire and Emergency Services fire danger system