Twenty Trainee Aviation Rescue Firefighters of the Port Moresby International Airport (PMIA), are now fully fledged Airport Fire Fighters after completing nine months of intensive training.
The twenty officers, six of them women, were recruited and started their training in 2019 in specific areas including area topography, aircraft familiarisation and Fire Control Center (FCC) among others.
“The introduction of women into the discipline that was mainly dominated by men, shows a new passage now chartered at NAC to encourage gender equality at all levels in the services that NAC provides,” said National Airports Corporation (NAC) Acting Managing Director Ephraim Wasem during the graduation ceremony of the fire fighters.
NAC began recruiting female ARFF officers in mid-2019 and currently has 8 ARFF female officers, six at PMIA and two at Tokua Airport in East New Britain Province.
Executive Manager for Port Moresby International Airport, Apisolom Kaili said Airport Rescue and Fire Fighting is a critical aspect of Airport Operations.
He said; “NAC’s goal is to meet the safety and regulatory compliance, Part 139.65 of CASA PNG and International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) regulations and ensure that ARFF personnel are adequately trained and equipped with proper equipment and PPE and are medically and physically fit for duty.”
NAC currently has ARFF stations at six of its 22 Airports and a total of 108 ARFF officers.
Photos Credit: NAC
