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Snapshot 86
Fire fighters better protected in the Cooks
The members of the Puaikura Volunteer Fire Brigade
(PVFB) in the Cook Islands are now better protected in
their new personal protective clothing. The uniforms
were donated by the Fire and Rescue New South
Wales (FRNSW) to improve the safety and working
environment for the volunteers. The donation was
provided under the auspices of the Pacific Islands
Emergency Management Alliance (PIEMA). PIEMA
was established in July 2013 as a mechanism to
strengthen partnerships in emergency preparedness
and response capacity building between Pacific Island
countries and territories with counterpart agency
members of the Australasian Fire and Emergency
Services Authorities Council (AFAC). The FRNSW is a
member of AFAC.
The AFAC has a long established commitment to
the development and implementation of training
competencies and best practice in emergency
management operations. Associated with this goal,
AFAC and a number of its member agencies, such as
FRNSW, have a long-standing partnership with the fire
and emergency service organisations in Pacific Island
countries. The co-ordination of the support from
AFAC member agencies to Pacific Island countries is
provided by the SPC as the Secretariat for PIEMA.
The PVFB is the oldest volunteer brigade in the Cook
Islands, running for 11 years, and is currently staffed
by CFO Barry Hill and 12 volunteer firefighters. The
Puaikura Volunteer Fire Brigade responds to all
emergencies as directed by the Police, Airport Rescue
Fire and the Disaster Management Office.
The protective clothing has been refurbished and is
part of the support by FRNSW to the Pacific Islands
Fire Services Association (PIFESA). Over the last 12
months, the FRNSW has distributed approximately
1360 sets of personal protective clothing weighing
approximately 776 kg to 11 Pacific countries including
Timor and Cambodia.
Members of the Puaikura Volunteer Fire Brigade