Protective equipment for firefighters and police delivered to Vanuatu

As part of a longstanding agreement with the Republic of Vanuatu, the ACT Emergency Services Agency donated protective equipment including helmets, protective clothing, and boots to assist local firefighters and police.

The arrival of new equipment is celebrated in Vanuatu. ACT ESA preparing the donation for transit.

PHOTOS: ACT ESA

MOLLY PRICE

AFAC

Vanuatu is considered to be one of the world’s most at-risk countries for natural hazards, vulnerable to cyclones, earthquakes, volcanoes, floods, and tsunamis.

As these hazard events increase in severity and frequency due to climate change, emergency management agencies must improve their capacity to prepare for and respond to disasters.

In 2016, the ACT Emergency Services Agency (ESA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Vanuatu Government in relation to fire and emergency management activities, supported by the ACT Government, AFAC (through the Pacific Islands Emergency Management Alliance), and the Pacific Islands Fire and Emergency Services Association.

Through this partnership, ACT ESA has provided training, technical advice, and equipment—including fire

appliances—for emergency services.

In July 2022, the Australian Federal Police facilitated the delivery of two pallets of equipment to Luganville, on the northern island of Espiritu Santo.

The donation from ACT ESA included new structural firefighting helmets, protective tunics, overpants, and boots for firefighters, as well as 79 pairs of general-purpose boots for the Luganville Police.

The ongoing relationship between ACT ESA and the Vanuatu Government aims to increase resilience and reduce disaster vulnerability in the region.

It supports the broader work of AFAC, whose members work in partnership with Pacific Island nations, and Australian and New Zealand governments to support a coordinated capability development approach that strengthens interoperability and the capacity of disaster and emergency management agencies across the Pacific. AFAC members are committed to working with our peers in the Pacific in a spirit of mutual cooperation.

Local firefighters and police trying out the new protective gear.