RSIPF firefighters complete ‘disaster responder’ training

Officers from the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF)’s Fire and Rescue Services have completed ‘Natural Disaster First Responder’ training in Honiara last week.

Ten officers were awarded certificates for completing the training on Friday 11 November 2022.

The Australian Federal Police (AFP), through the RSIPF-AFP Policing Partnership Program (RAPPP), supported the delivery of the training.

AFP has been providing support to the RSIPF’s Fire and Rescue Service under a secondment arrangement with Fire and Rescue New South Wales (FRNSW). Leading firefighter, Michael Jordan, from FRNSW facilitated the training with the support of the chief co-ordinator of the training, Inspector Gary Power.

Inspector Power, who is the Advisor for the RSIPF Fire and Rescue Service, said the training provided to RSIPF firefighters would help the RSIPF’s Fire and Rescue Service to become the lead agency for future disaster response.

He said officers who completed the training are now qualified to conduct training to future police recruits on providing a co-ordinated response to any national emergency including earthquakes, landslides and cyclones.

Superintendent Russell Tagini, who attended the graduation as the supervising Assistant Commissioner of the RSIPF, said it is important that RSIPF officers are ready all the time to respond to natural disasters.

RAPPP Commander, Clinton Smith, said he was impressed to see the RSIPF Fire and Rescue Service officers conducting their exercise as part of the training.

Commander Smith said it is clear from the exercise that the participating officers have learned valuable things from the training. He said that the training provided important expertise as Solomon Islands is prone to natural disasters that affect local communities.

He thanked FRNSW for delivering the training and congratulated RSIPF officers who completed the course. He said he hopes the officers will put to use what they have learned in an operational environment.