The Fire and Rescue Bill 2025 was passed in Parliament today in a favor of 67 votes to non. The Bill was presented in Parliament by Defence Minister Dr. Billy Joseph who stated that the PNG Fire and Rescue Service is a State Agency in Papua New Guinea responsible for the organization, management and control of all the fire brigades under the Fire Service Act (Chapter 64) and for the protection of life and property in the case of fire. Minister Joseph stated that the Fire Service Act (Chapter 64) substantially remains unchanged since its commencement in 1968, particularly the provisions of the Firemen operations and the performance aspects which, in most part outdated. “Hence, this Fire and Rescue Service Bill 2025 will repeal and replace this Fire Service Act (Chapter 64). The Fire and Rescue Bill 2025 aims to bring about changes that will enable the Fire and Rescue Service to perform better and expend its roles and responsibilities to meet emerging challenges. The development and the expansion of Towns and Cities in PNG caused some of the provisions in the Fire Service Act to become inappropriate and an obstacle to progress. Therefore, the need to repeal the Fire Service Act is relevant to meets today’s prevailing circumstances. A new modern framework is needed given these prevailing circumstances to effectively enable the PNG Fire Service to help address these problems by giving more directions to its operations,” Minister Joseph said. He said the National Fire Service has Fire Brigades and Stations established in 13 provinces in the country. “Under the proposed Bill, the aim of the PNG Fire Service is to have Fire Brigades and Stations established in all Districts and Provinces in the country including the Autonomous Region of Bougainville. As minister for Defence, I want the PNG Fire Service to be modernized to meet the evolving fire safety and emergency needs of the country. The Marape-Rosso government recognizes the importance of this service, hence supporting the modernization of the important Institution of State and is a crucial area of long-term focus for the government in terms of investment in building new infrastructure, acquiring appropriate technology, equipment and fire engines, training manpower in modern firefighting, rescue and emergency protocol, as well as adequate funding appropriation. As minister responsible, I would like to see the PNG Fire Service enter into a new era, delivering more resources, more personnel and better focused and aligned services for the country,” he said. All members of Parliament both the government and the opposition supported the Bill and congratulated the Minister for passing the Bill Parliament.