Solomon Islands Fire Service
Page: 15355
The Hon. AMANDA FAZIO: My question is addressed to the Minister for Emergency Services. Will the Minister inform honourable members of the New South Wales Fire Brigades contribution to fire safety in the Solomon Islands?
The Hon. TONY KELLY: As honourable members would be aware, Australia is leading the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands, which is offering assistance and capacity-building to a country once wracked by civil unrest and corruption. The mission is under the charge of the Australian Federal Police and is an important partnership between Australia and the Pacific. The initial purpose of the assistance mission was to restore order, before beginning the process of civilian reconstruction. A vital part of this work involves rebuilding the Solomon Islands Fire Service. I am proud to say this State's recognised firefighting expertise and technology is being employed to ensure that one of our closest neighbours in the region has the fire protection its community deserves. It is a great credit to the New South Wales Fire Brigades that it was approached to guide this important rebuilding process and reinforces its reputation as a world-class fire and rescue service.
The New South Wales Fire Brigades Zone Commander for the Blue Mountains and Central West, Superintendent Tom Milburn, has been selected to act as the Solomon Islands Chief Fire Officer for the next two years. After undergoing intensive predeployment training, Superintendent Milburn is departing Australia today. Superintendent Milburn's task will be to guide the restoration and management of the Solomon Islands firefighting services to ensure the community's fire protection needs are met. He will implement reforms recommended by his fellow officer, Inspector Chris Jurgeit, who spent three months in the Solomons last year reviewing the fire service. The Solomon Islands Fire Service is part of the Royal Solomon Islands Police and its firefighters are also sworn police officers. Superintendent Milburn will be joining the Participating Police Force comprising 200 Australian Federal Police officers and protective service officers, along with more than 100 other police from throughout the Pacific region.
The Fire Brigades commitment adds to that by the Rural Fire Service, which has produced and shipped five firefighting tankers to the Solomons as part of a specific AusAID-funded project. The RFS vehicles were selected for their excellent design features, simple operating systems and effective off-road capabilities. These tankers were specially fitted with bronze pumps that have the capability to use seawater, which is the main water source for firefighting operations in the Solomons. The Solomons Fire Service will experience significant changes over the next two to three years. Superintendent Milburn's extensive experience with the Fire Brigades will stand him in good stead in his new role. He will need to provide strong, steady leadership to the organisation as he implements new training programs, delivers new infrastructure, and supports the development of local officers so they will be in a position to assume control in the future.
I commend Superintendent Milburn for his commitment to assisting the community not only here at home but in our wider region, where his expertise and professional commitment can be used to directly benefit people in need. The Solomon Islands is comprised of almost 1,000 islands over some 1,300 kilometres in area, with a population of more than 500,000. It will be a difficult job for Superintendent Milburn. I wish him well in his position, which will no doubt be tremendously demanding but also richly rewarding.