Why Kenya is ‘burning’ for a fire disaster management and reforms.
Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu (centre) tries out one of the fire engines when he officially presided over the opening of the 3rd Fire Academy at the Thika stadium. |
Fire fighters in
Kenya have appealed to their respective county governments to give prominence
to the department that according to them, has been grossly neglected them for
years.
While speaking at Thika Sub-County Stadium during the
official launch of the 3rd Fire Academy, the firemen said that despite
the risky nature of their profession, they neither have medical nor insurance
cover notwithstanding the poor remuneration and lack of the requisite firefighting
equipment in most of counties.
The Kenya National Fire Brigade Association (KeNFiBA) Secretary
General Francis Omollo reckoned that most counties were faced with a severe shortage of fire engines and
equipment, a move that has incapacitated the brigade.
He said that lack of investment in firefighting equipment
and personnel had left so many Kenyans feeling exposed every time infernos
struck adding that most counties lacked the capacity to respond effectively to
fire outbreaks leading to loss of lives
and destruction of property worth millions of shillings.
“As fire fighters, we are dealing with an impossible mission
and it is time Kenyans know that we have been trying to do our best under very
risky circumstances. There is a great need to drastically improve all aspects
of fire fighting in the country, including insuring emergency workers such as
fire fighters against injury and death resulting from fire emergencies and
other related disasters,” Omollo said.
Omollo said it was unfortunate that the firemen were always on
the receiving end of the wrath of fire victims for mistakes that at times, were
not of their own making.
“We are regularly attacked for not doing our job properly
but these residents will never understand what we undergo through in the line
of duty. Inadequate staff, lack of proper equipment and
inability to control crowds at fire scenes have made the job of firefighters
difficult,” he said.
Kiambu County Chief fire Officer Samuel Kahura highlighted
some of the challenges they underwent in their course for duty which included
among other things, public institutions failing to install hydrants so that
fire trucks can easily tap in to put out fires, instead of having to going for long
distances to access water.
“During major fires, our trucks are forced
to drive about 3 kilometres in some areas of the county whenever fires erupt. We
are also faced with the problem victims of fire outbreaks taking too long to
contact us and by the time they do so, it is too late to minimise the damage to
property and contain the spread of the blaze,” explained Kahura.
He added that one of major problems they experienced was accessing
some areas due to overcrowding, especially in slum areas.
He however acknowledged that, compared to other counties, Kiambu
was better prepared with 7 sub-county fire offices, 10 fire engines and 90
firefighters.
Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu promised to address some
of the issues raised and keep improving the sector to ensure it was more
efficient.
“I will immediately embark on a programme to evaluate and
resolve your remuneration, insurance and living conditions. We will also try to
bridge the deficit in your workforce by employing more staff and adding more
stations to meet the emerging needs within the county,” said the governor.
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