Firefighting services in Kilifi County government are set for major improvement following the ongoing training of its firefighting officers.
The officers led by the head of the fire department Kahindi Saul are being trained in different skills on combating fire disasters by a team of experts from Germany.
The two weeks training is ongoing at the Indian Ocean Maritime Training center in Watamu.
Speaking to the media, Mr Kahindi said the training has come at the right time and that the knowledge his officers are getting will be of great importance in the future.
“It’s prudent that we had this training by officers who are experts in this field in Europe. We started communicating to them several years ago and they first sent some equipment and then they are here to train us,” said Mr Kahindi.
He said the training will enable them to get modern skills to combat fire disasters and hence save lives and properties in time in case of fires.
“With increased populations in our major towns in Kilifi, firefighting remains core in ensuring the safety of the people and their premises.
“Because of this, and when we have a well-trained firefighter, it means that in case of fire disasters, our officers can fast respond and act swiftly to avert any calamity,” he added.
In their two-week training, the more than 30 officers from the three designated fire centers in Malindi, Mariakani, and Kilifi will gather skills on the use of modern techniques and equipment on how to respond to a fire disaster.
Their training is being conducted by a team of firefighters from Germany working under the auspices of the European Rescue and Support Team, with a major focus being on the Fire Breathing Apparatus Course.
“We are here to train and equip the County firefighters with skills on how to combat fires. We understand that this course will be of great importance to them,” said one of the officers from Germany.
