Need for a Directorate of Fire Services in Kenya

Need for a Directorate of Fire Services in Kenya

A fire disaster at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in August 2013

The fire brigades in Kenya have been charged with the responsibility of ensuring buildings within their jurisdictions are safe in case of fire incidences and other eventualities. These fire brigades are localized since time immemorial in Kenya such that when one mentions Nairobi Fire Brigade, then we talk of Nairobi County and Mombasa fire brigade is synonymous with Mombasa County. Yet there is no link in the fire brigade activities such as common training, supervision standards and fire safety regulations that one can say this is common to all the fire personnel. Take for example, training, there is no standard to gauge a fire recruit to a fire station. A Directorate of fire services, if in place in Kenya, will among other duties, set the standard of recruitment of a fire safety personnel, inspect fire stations around the country to ensure they conform to the minimal fire station requirements, contribute to policy formulations to support fire station activities in the country, and even establish an examination board to examine technical courses in fire service delivery.

This might be a wishful thinking but the sad truth is out there, without coordination in fire service delivery then no one is safe, even to the fire stations whose mandate is to ensure these services reaches the locals. A spot check in most of the county fire stations indicates nothing has changed much, a part from taking orders from county secretary, the status quo is maintained and since this is a function that was with the defunct municipal council, the stations are a forgotten lot. With a Directorate of fire services in Place, the interests of the fire stations will be taken into account. Just like Health is a devolved function but when a disaster like ebola strikes, it is the work of the National Government through the Ministry of Health to conduct coordination of activities through a national health management outfit like national public health administration which would bring all the stakeholders in the health sector under one roof. For fire service, when a national disaster strike, like the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport fire of August 2013, it is the fire station where the disaster has taken place that will take responsibility and the other fire stations have no obligation to respond and even if they were to respond who would give the authority as the jurisdictions are different and the authority and operations are not harmonized through a central communication point. Yes, the functions are good when devolved but with no central coordination and beyond reproach process in safety service, then devolution of fire service remains just that, a name.

Role in devolved fire stations

Fire stations have always been devolved no doubt about that as these were under the control of the then city and municipal county governments but the question then is “How do you devolved an already devolved function?” According the defunct interim independent electoral boundaries commission (IIEBC) report, fire stations were headquartered at the City and Municipal council offices which were central locations within the boundaries. The new constitution of Kenya 2010 defines new boundaries and new jurisdictions. A county will now have sub-counties with the County Chief fire officer in-charge of fire safety within the county and commands the other sub-counties. A research conducted in 2014 in Kiambu County on status of fire service delivery indicates that out of all the Kiambu sub-counties, only two are functioning fully and even then only one is able to respond to a major disaster as the other lack massive equipment and personnel. This case is replicated in other counties with some being worse off.

The directorate of fire services in essence would be the leader in the national fire service delivery and also takes stock of the number of fire stations in the county, the personnel, the deficit and the required improvements per station.

The writer is PhD Student at JKUAT focusing on fire service delivery