Fire up and ready for the Pacific Games

New fire advisor for the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) Fire and Rescue Department, Inspector Matt Goldman, is happy with their Department’s readiness for the Pacific Games.

Goldman, a member of the Fire and Rescue New South Wales (FRNSW), is here under a secondment arrangement between the FRNSW and the Australian Federal Police (AFP).

Under this arrangement, the AFP source technical support, training and equipment from the FRNSW and deliver them to the RSIPF through the RSIPF-AFP Policing Partnership Program (RAPPP).

AFP, through RAPPP, has been supporting the Fire and Rescue with equipment, training and direct advisory support.

Goldman, who brings with him wealth of experience in firefighting into the Fire and Rescue, is not new to events of such scale.

He was with the FRNSW, which conducted a successful operation during the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. The Olympics attracted over 10,600 athletes.

As part of their operation to support the Pacific Games, Goldman said they have mobilized their staff to work on shift rosters for the duration of the event and have opened an additional fire station close to game venues in East Honiara.

He said he has been in the role for over a week but he is confident with the Fire and Rescue readiness to deal with any potential fire, rescue and hazardous incident.

He additionally said the trainings and resources provided to Fire and Rescue officers have equipped them well for the task.

“When you have extra people coming for the games, the risks also increase like fire or traffic incidents, but this is something we’re ready for.

We want to remind locals to be mindful with fire. If you are cooking, turn off the fire when you decide to watch the game. Drivers too must be patient when they driving on the roads to avoid accidents,” Goldman said.

He said everyone should enjoy and take pride of the Pacific Games but at the same time take extra precaution to prevent incidents from ruining what should be a memorable time.

AFP Commander Solomon Islands Heath Davies said the expertise Inspector Goldman brings would make a big difference to the fire and rescue response and capability in Honiara and surrounding areas, particularly in the lead-up to the Pacific Games.

“The AFP is proud to have once again worked closely with Fire and Rescue New South Wales to procure vital knowledge through the secondment program to help the RSIPF Fire and Rescue as they serve the local community,” Commander Davies said.

“We want to ensure the officers are equipped with the tools and experience they need to respond and protect the community under challenging conditions.”