Perth, Australia – The Samoa Fire and Emergency Services Authority (SFESA) is making history on the global stage, with Commissioner Tanuvasa Oloapu Petone Mauga representing Samoa and the Pacific Islands at the 2025 AFAC Conference & Exhibition, Australasia’s largest fire and emergency management event.
Sharing the stage with Barry Gray, Assistant Chief Fire Officer of Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV), Commissioner Tanuvasa presented the theme “From Local to Global Impact: Partnership between Fire Rescue Victoria and the Samoa Fire and Emergency Services Authority.” What began as a local collaboration has grown into a model of global best practice, strengthening Samoa’s emergency response capabilities and earning international recognition.
A standout highlight was the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) case study, where SFESA, supported by Fire Rescue Victoria, Fire and Emergency New Zealand, and St John New Zealand, successfully led a complex, high-level, incident-free international event. This operation demonstrated SFESA’s power of capacity to manage large-scale emergencies, showcasing Pacific leadership, operational capability, and effective collaboration. The case study’s impact on the global stage underscores its significance as a blueprint for future Pacific-led planning and international cooperation.
As Chair of the Pacific Islands Fire and Emergency Services Association (PIFESA), Commissioner Tanuvasa also emphasised Samoa’s role in advancing regional resilience and strengthening humanitarian response coordination across the Pacific.
SFESA acknowledges the Pacific Community (SPC) for its support in enabling Pacific representatives to attend AFAC25 and the PIFESA Annual Meeting.
