Kenyan fire protection and safety professionals can learn a lot more from the South Australian Fire-fighters

Author Reference

Benard., L., (2014): Kenyans can learn a lot more from the South Australian Fire fighters. Intel Fire Group Blog. Nairobi, Kenya.

In the last few days Southern Australia has been fighting fierce bush fires especially in Adelaide Hills where the fire is believed to be burning out of control. Coupled with gully winds the County Fire Service was able to plan and allocate resources lasting the whole operation. Considering the temperature in area to soar to up to 39 degrees Celsius, the fire fighters have been able to do their work beyond reproach and the dedication to duty than experienced in Kenya. Fire in Kenyan slum will consume more houses than expected and when the fire fighters arrive, the fire tender supposedly runs out of water and the next available hydrant is miles away. It may be that the Kenyan situation is different from the South Australian one and an emerging economy, Kenyan fire professionals can learn a lot more.

A water bomber drops on a flare-up at Cudlee Creek

What Kenya can learn

There is a fable in the Kenyan fire-fighting industry. This fable has two versions, depending on the fire-fighter who is telling it. If it is a Kenyan non-fire-fighter doing the recounting, then it goes like this: Kenya’s fire-fighters are failures in school pushed to the job by well-connected relatives. Due to this scenario they cannot be counted on in times of major fire emergencies. “These people” add more to the pain of fire disasters due to failure after failure.

A Kenyan fire profession telling the same tale, it takes a different slant. Kenyan fire-fighters are born. They are dedicated to their work with the limited resources and exploits all opportunities to ensure fire risks are averted. “These people” are the engine behind better fire service delivery. Which version of the fable is the myth and which is the reality? Or is it just a fable all round, a far-fetched legend that bears no resemblance to the truth, which version is recounted? It is time the Kenyan fire professionals looked critically at themselves (for we are all) and try to identify the facts about Kenyan fire professionals probably by looking at the success of the Southern Australian fire-fighters.

The successes of the Southern Australian fire-fighters are for all and sundry to see and more so the Kenyan fire professionals. Southern Australian fire-fighters have achieved many successes from controlling level of casualties, planning to the resource allocation and communication systems. In Adelaide Hills where it is reported that more than 11, 000 hectares have been burnt, there was a population of about 40, 000 people and no casualties were reported. This being the worst fire since the 1983 bushfires indicates the level of preparedness for a state with modern fire facilities compared to Kenya.

A CFS volunteer walks through burnt ground on Kersbrook Rd

There is also a strong indication that the fire department in Southern Australian  are working closely with their colleagues at the Bureau of Meteorology  which issues warnings on thunderstorms to the north and east of Adelaide and with information the fire departments are able to plan and allocate resources. The Kenyan County Fire Brigades should work closely with major players in the market which includes the Kenya Meteorological department which predicts weather patterns especially during heavy rains so as to prepare to efficient evacuation. Also the Kenya Building Society, the County Building Inspectorate, the National Highways Authority and other stakeholders in coordination of rescue efforts.

This write-up would have been different if the County governments in Kenya had taken a team of fire professionals to Australia to learn from their colleagues in the industry and implement the skills in their own Counties. Given the opportunity to visit Australia, I would instead put the concept of bushfires in academically acknowledged books for the Kenyan professionals to appreciate planning and resource allocation in fire disaster management.

The Author is a student of PhD Projects Management focusing on fire service delivery at JKUAT Juja Main Campus.