Extension work progressing on fire station: Official

WORK is progressing smoothly on the extension of the old engine bay at the Lae Fire Station to be used to accommodate a larger fire truck and an ambulance.
Chief Fire Officer Bill Roo, said the old engine bay built during the late 1970s was small and unable to accommodate a larger fire truck donated by China during Apec 2018.
“The heavy duty fire truck is one of nine such vehicles given to the fire service and distributed to several provinces where our fire stations are located to boost our fire cover operations,” Roo said in a statement.
“The fire service has committed funding this year through our public investment programme (PIP) component to priority areas including renovation and rehabilitation of existing structures at the fire stations around the country.
“One of such projects taking place is the construction work on the extension of the old fire engine bay at the Lae Fire Station.
“The construction of the engine bay is also timely as it will complement an existing partnership agreement between St John Ambulance to enable them to expand their services to outside centres such as Lae.
“This new fire engine bay will be able to accommodate both fire engines and an ambulance at the fire station, making it possible for St John to respond quickly to emergencies in and around Lae city,” Roo said.
Roo said similar arrangements have been made with other fire stations to have them renovated to cater for St John to utilise and expand their operations and the fire service is happy to assist where possible.
“We are in the business of saving lives and having such a partnership with St John only shows our commitment in serving our people.
“A similar project is currently underway at the Alotau Fire Station in Milne Bay and the fire service management acknowledge the commitment and support accorded by Alotau MP Charles Abel for committing funds for the construction of an engine bay in the province,” Roo said.