Author Reference
Benard, L. (2015): Massive Infrastructural
Development in Kenyan Universities but None is yet to establish a Fire
Department. Intel Fire Group of Companies Blog. Nairobi, Kenya.
Massive Infrastructural
Development in Kenyan Universities but None is yet to establish a Fire
Department
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| A Post Modern Library at Kenyatta University |
Eleanor Everet, the famous freelance
writer of her time once quoted that “safety is not a gadget but a state of mind”.
So the big question should be “are our
states of minds at our public and private universities in Kenya right in
ignoring establishment of fire departments at the university?” Taking a
leap and focusing at far west and particularly the University of Alaska (UA)
which among other well established universities has established a fire
department commonly referred to as University
Fire Department. The fire department even though offers courses in fire and
emergency safety is mandated to provide effective fire, rescue, and emergency
medical services while at the same time preparing students for leadership in
emergency services. It should be a belief, if information provided at https://www.uaf.edu/fire/ is correct, that
the massive infrastructural development at the University of Alaska necessitated
the establishment of the fire department.
Taking screen-shorts at our Kenyan
universities paints a picture of universities under the verge of
infrastructural development breakthrough. Kenyatta University in Nairobi leads
in this pack with is its state of the art modern administration block, the
famous chandaria business innovation and incubation center, the unicity, the cultural centre among other
massive buildings and not to mention the population supported. The University
of Nairobi in the same breath is constructing what is dubbed the 2.3 billion
towers to add to its sets of infrastructure. This is not to mention other
public universities recently established and investing in the same cadre of
development. Private universities in Kenya are also following in the trend and
a good example will be the Mount Kenya University located in Kiambu County
central part of Kenya and has massive buildings at its headquarter comprising
of the Chancellor Towers and the
upcoming modern administration block. None
of these upcoming infrastructural developments includes an “upcoming university fire station department”.
This service cannot solely be left to the public county fire service department.
If that is the case, then the universities should do the same with the other
liken projects like establishing University hospitals which can also be offered
by the county public hospitals.
Though incidences of fire have not been
reported at the Kenyan universities, this is likely to change as these infrastructures
have only recently been operationalized and with time this is unavoidable due
to many factors that will be coming into play. Why would a university having
infrastructure developments worth over 50 billion Kenyan shillings depend on a public
fire department whose response by international standards is 5 times lower than
the recommended time-card and ill equipped to state the least? It is time the
university management both in public and private sector revise their investment
policies on infrastructural development to focus on proactive measures in terms
of fire safety at the universities by establishing a fully fledged fire
department. Fully fledged here meaning that there is an established fire station
complete with career fire fighters and the necessary response equipment.
The writer is a PhD Generalist in
Public Safety Service Delivery
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