The volunteers and members of the Puaikura Volunteer Fire Brigade are celebrating the expansion of their fire station, which is expected to boost their response service to fire incidents around the island.

The expansion of the station, located at Aroa Nui Hall, was celebrated on Friday. The celebration was attended by representative from the government of Japan, the three Members of Parliament for Puaikura and members of the community.

The “Project for Improvement of Puaikura Fire Station” was funded through Japan’s Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP) which provided new rescue and training equipment and delivering and emergency vehicle.

The completed improvements now include an indoor parking space for fire engines, facilitating quicker emergency responses.

The newly supplied vehicle and equipment are expected to significantly enhance the Fire Brigade’s disaster response capabilities, thereby increasing the overall safety of Rarotonga’s residents and visitors.

John Jessie, deputy fire chief at Puaikura Volunteer Fire Brigade, emphasised that the station has seen a remarkable growth over the years, both in the crew and the fleets.

“Today is indeed a milestone in the 22-year history of the Puaikura Volunteer Fire Brigade. As we gather to celebrate the extension of the new fire engine bay, we are reminded of how far we have come and the strong future we continue to build together,” Jessie said in his remarks.

“The station’s crew members have expanded over 40+ members and today we have 23 active members all ready to serve and protect our community.”

The Brigade’s fleet has been enhanced with the latest and safest fire equipment, which was previously donated by Fire and Emergency New Zealand and is now equipped on the fire appliances for their operations.

“Today, we are honoured to celebrate the opening of our new fire engine bar, a symbol of progress and strength,” Jessie added.

This new extension to house the new fire appliance for the brigade, the new response ute and fire equipment, were all donated by the Government of Japan.

Naoko Hayashi, Embassy of Japan New Zealand economic advisor, said the project went through some changes from the initial plans.

“I am personally very impressed with how neatly everything is stored and labelled in the facility with the tiny Japanese flag stickers and also the shiny high-tech vehicle,” Hayashi said.

“Congratulations to the Puaikura Fire Brigade and everyone involved for the successful completion of the project.

“I visited the Cook Islands in May this year and had the chance to drive past your facility. At that stage, the garage was only half built but I believe it is all ready to save more people in Rarotonga from fire incidents.”

A brief fire response demonstration was conducted by the team on Friday as part of the celebration. This demonstration showcased a faster response time to fire incidents, expected to be less than 10 minutes.