Ministry of Defense to draft Search and Rescue Manual by June this year

The Ministry of Defense now intends to incorporate the findings from the Search and Rescue operation of the two Pacific Flying School pilots  before it finalises the draft Search and Rescue Manual by June this year to enhance such operations in Fiji. 

This was highlighted in Parliament by the Minster for Defense Ratu Inoke Kubuabola while making a statement on the efforts made on the Search and Rescue operation of the two Pacific Flying School pilots.  

He says that the proposed Search and Rescue Bill, that they hope to present in Parliament this year, empowers agencies in particular the establishment of the Fiji Rescue Coordination Centre and the subsequent alignment of the three classes of Search and Rescue, namely Land, Maritime and Aeronautical Search and Rescue to the Rescue Coordination Centre.

Kubuabola says this establishment is envisaged to align and put in place the existing fragmented responses into a more coordinated approach in terms of resource deployment and command and control. 

The Defense Minister also highlighted that in the proposed Search and Rescue concept, all Turaga Ni Koros and advisory counsellors in villages and informal settlements will be empowered under the Search and Rescue Manual to initiate initial response to any distress call or incidents whether it be Land, Maritime or Aeronautical and guided by the Rescue Coordination Centre.

Kubuabola says the Turaga Ni Koros will undergo the necessary training with basic Search and Rescue knowledge and they have already completed the first training in the Western Division earlier this year.

Meanwhile, Kubuabola also highlighted that the delay in the decision to deploy air search teams was a deliberate decision based on the unfavourable weather conditions that existed at the time adding that it would have been unreasonable to put aerial search teams out when visibility was almost none.

He stressed that they did not want to risk losing additional lives when common sense dictates that it would be untenable to deploy those assets and responders in unfavourable flying and search conditions.

Opposition MP Mosese Bulitavu in his response made the suggestion to give parachutes to air‑travellers.

Kubuabola then stressed that parachutes are not considered a lifesaving equipment for all fixed wing aircrafts adding that the most basic training requires several hours of theory and several practical jumps with experienced jumpers before a lay person such as a passenger on a commercial flight can even consider making that jump.

He adds that jumping out of a fixed wing aircraft with a parachute with or without training is more than likely to be met with a fatal outcome.