Nabouwalu fire station commissioned
NABOUWALU has now become home to the 12th fire station that was established by the Government since 2011 and also became the 21st fire station in the country.
As Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama proudly stated, “Prior to that, only nine stations existed in Fiji so in 11 years we’ve built more fire stations than were built throughout all of our independent history”.
While commissioning the Nabouwalu Fire Station last week, Prime Minister Bainimarama reflected that fire can cost a family or business owners everything they own in a few horrific hours –– or even minutes –– with years of hard work going up in smoke.
“When we came into Government, we knew the reach of fire-fighting services in Fiji was nowhere near where it needed
to be. There was a severe shortage of access to emergency services for hundreds of thousands of people so we did something about it,” Prime Minister Bainimarama said.
The two-vehicle state of the art facility which cost Government $1.35 million will cater to Vuya, Nabouwalu, Wairiki, Nanave, Dawara, Nawaca, Qereqere, Vinirara, Raralevu, Namulomulo, Namau, Nukubalavu and Raviravi.
This includes 508 households; two service stations; the Fiji Pine chipping mill in Wairiki; the Nabouwalu Hospital; six schools; 13 registered businesses; 14 government departments and the Nabouwalu Wharf –– which is of course the main port of entry to the Northern Division.
Furthermore, Prime Minister Bainimarama said the Government was on a mission to ensure that every Fijian has access to the emergency services they need led by the core belief that nothing
was more important than the safety and wellbeing of all Fijians.
“Every Fijian deserves reliable access to the help they need, when they need it most,” he said.
“These services are also vital to the confidence we’re creating in the great potential of the Northern economy and when reliable government services are made available, economies thrive, because businesses want the assurance of such services, such as fire services, before they make investments,” Prime Minister Bainimarama said.
Aside from responding to emergencies, the Nabouwalu Fire Station will lead awareness sessions to educate citizens on how to prevent fires; what steps to take in the event of a fire; and how to keep yourself safe around fire.
According to the National Fire Authority, from 2017 to 2021, the authority has responded to 687 structural fires across the country.