Building community readiness in the Cook Islands

Fire and Emergency has a strong connection to our Pasifika whānau, supporting the Cook Islands and Niue through firefighter training and providing equipment and appliances.

In September, Fire and Emergency sent two of our own Community Readiness and Recovery (CRR) Advisors – Mirren Allan and Nick Linton - to the Cook Islands to upskill their firefighters in planning and implementing their own Cook Island Community Readiness initiatives.

Their mahi (work) focused on ‘training the trainers’ of the local Brigades to deliver the Cook Islands Fire Safety Education Programme to schools and sharing fire safety advice with the deaf and hard of hearing community and people with disabilities.

The team delivered fire safety presentations alongside local firefighters to the Cook Islands National Disability Council, with Nick interpreting key messaging into sign language. Nick also installed Hearing Assistive Technology (HAT) alarms at the homes of community members who are profoundly deaf and trained the local firefighters to install and maintain these alarms.

Mirren and Nick then spent some time training local firefighters in preparation for the Cook Islands Fire Safety Education Programme, starting in schools the following week. This ‘train the trainers’ session was delivered at Puaikura Fire Station to firefighters from Puaikura Volunteer Fire Brigade, Teimurimotia Volunteer Fire Brigade and Cook Islands Rescue Fire Service.

The Cook Islands Fire Safety Education Programme for schools is based on Fire and Emergency’s Years 1 and 2 Get Firewise school programme. The team worked alongside local firefighters to adapt the programme to include risks that are unique to the Cook Islands way of life, such as mosquito coil and outdoor fires, and incorporated the Cook Islands Māori language.

Over the following couple of days, Mirren and Nick helped local firefighters put the adapted Cook Islands Fire Safety Education Programme into action at six local schools.

At Takitumu School, firefighters from all three brigades worked together to present the programme in full without our team’s assistance.

‘By the end of the week we saw great confidence from the local firefighters delivering the school programme that they have made their own. They took ownership of the programme and spoke Cook Island Māori language to deliver key messages to the students. It was awesome!’, said Mirren Allan, Senior Advisor Readiness and Recovery.

‘We are sure that the Brigades will do a great job continuing delivering the programme to the remaining schools on the island’.

Meitaki Maata (thank you very much) to the local Chiefs and firefighters for their huge efforts in bringing these initiatives to their community and hosting our CRR team. The programme would not have been the success it was without your commitment and dedication.