The Republic of Fiji Military Forces together with National Fire Authority personnel are in their initial stage of preparation at the Togalevu Naval Base as they prepare to depart our shores to offer assistance to Australia following the bushfire crisis the country is facing since September last year.
The personnel since yesterday (Monday 13th Jan 2020) have undergone full medical and Fitness test to meet the standard of overseas deployments.
Opening the training at Togalevu today (Tuesday 14th Jan 2020), the Chief of Staff RFMF Capt (Navy) John Fox said that the deployment of Fijian troops to Australia as part of Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operation is the first of its kind for the RFMF and will be a great learning experience.
“This is the first time for RFMF to deploy in this kind of operation as Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) in terms of Firefighting to our overseas brothers and sisters in Australia,” Capt (Navy) Fox said.
“This deployment is a totally new experience for you troops and please learn more as it will also be helpful if and incident as such happens in our country. We are working together with your instructors to get more information as we can to help assist you while you deploy to Australia soon.” Capt (Navy) Fox stated.
He also added that it was important for the troops to understand that they are also ambassadors of Fiji and to offer all the assistance as they can to the Australian population especially to those who have been affected by the bushfire.
The Australian bushfire which started in September last year has been recorded as the most devastating ever in Australian history creating damage to over 14 million acers of land, killing more than 20 people and an estimated 1 billion animals.
