Fire service celebrates golden jubilee

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The Papua New Guinea Fire Service celebrated its 50th anniversary last Friday at the Port Moresby Fire Station.
Chief Fire Officer Bill Roo said the occasion was used to remember ex-servicemen who had served the organisation.
“It is fitting that we use this occasion to honour our veterans who have provided the foundation of duty and care on which the Fire Service is built on,” Roo said.
“It is through their labour, hard work, determination and loyalty that we have been able to provide a sense of pride in the uniform we wear today.
He also said the efforts and bravery of firefighters who had risked their lives to save other people’s lives and property was something not always recognised in PNG.
“The Fire Service has been criticised but the problem lays outside our ability to control or through resources which are not available,” Roo said.
“We do not look for excuses, we will always hold strongly to our ideals of service because this is our calling and our commitment to serve our country.”
Roo said the organisation recognised many challenges, with new building infrastructure and designs and the need to continually monitor and enforce fire certification approvals to ensure that risks to lives and properties were minimised.
“We are working hard on initiatives to improve and expand the number of our fire stations and creating a volunteer programme that would increase our manpower and expertise with improved training techniques,” he said.