Kiambu County is redefining disaster preparedness and management in Kenya, this follows a partnership between the county and the Polish Centre for International Aid, which focuses on training firefighters and first responders on urban search and rescue attracting officers and delegations from across the country for training and benchmarking.
Following a series of buildings collapsing, and other disasters like landslides and dam breaches in the country over the years, this necessitated strategic government action to address the gaps in response and rescue.
Governor Kimani Wamatangi noted that fast and uncontrolled urbanization in Kiambu and Nairobi had been attributed as the leading cause of buildings collapsing including the lack of the mandatory occupation certificates to show structural integrity.
The training centre situated at the Kiambu Fire Station builds the capacity of the rescue offers and offers on-site real-life simulations, especially for collapsed buildings, with modern and international standards of safety equipment.
“Our Firefighting and Emergency Services Directorate has firmly placed Kiambu on the national map. Our highly trained personnel are leading emergency response efforts within the county and also being called upon to assist in operations across the country, including attracting delegations for benchmarking.”
As Governor, he expressed enthusiasm on the opportunities and impact brought about by the training school including opening doors abroad for the youth.
“Our training school has become a hub for developing skilled professionals, attracting trainees from other counties, the national government and other agencies. Some of our graduates have gone on to secure jobs abroad confirming the training offered here is of global standards.,” said Governor Wamatangi.
The County Government and Polish Centre for International Aid have future plans of elevating the Training School to a higher status.
“We are currently in discussions with our partners from Poland to explore the possibility of elevating the institution to the status of a National Emergency Training College,” said Governor Wamatangi.
Chief Officer for Public Utilities in Kiambu Virginia Kahonge said that the county had established coordination protocols with multi agencies comprising the National Disaster Management Unit, Kenya Police, Kenya Defense Forces, Red Cross, and the Kenya Prisons, for response and harmonization during emergencies.
“We regularly host joint drills for the team to test their capacity since we are well-equipped with real-life simulation scenarios on these training grounds, aimed at testing our call response time, and helping us improve on the gaps reported,” she added.
County Chief Fire Officer Samuel Kahura noted that trained officers were nationally recognized and had responded to disasters in different counties that included Muranga, Kirinyaga, Embu, Kajiado and Nairobi Counties.
“We have some of our officers securing jobs overseas because of the training we offer here at the Kiambu Training School. The international opportunities affirm that our standards are recognized across our boundaries and accepted as a global standard,” said Mr Kahura.
Several government agencies have also trained their officers at the Kiambu Training School, and they included Konza City, Kenyatta University, and Kenya Airports Authority.
The training school recognized prior learning and experience in firefighting as a prerequisite for admission.
Ms. Aleksandra Piotrowska, the Project Manager from Poland, noted that Kenya lacked an effective disaster response system with adequate coordination, and the Kiambu investment was addressing these gaps.
“This project in Kiambu town enhances Kenya’s disaster response capabilities. The school improves nationwide readiness and preparedness through establishing and training a specialized Search and Rescue Team for disasters related to construction sites and buildings in the Nairobi Metropolitan Area and a nationwide team of first responders,” she added.
By Anne Grace Njoki
