Role played by Kenyan Fire Departments in Sustainable Development in Contribution to SDG 11

Author Reference

Benard, L. (2015): Role played by Kenyan Fire Departments in Sustainable Development in Contribution to SDG 11. Intel Fire Group of Companies Blog. Nairobi, Kenya.

Role played by Kenyan Fire Departments in Sustainable Development in Contribution to SDG 11

 

As a scholar by now you are probably aware that the Millennium Development Goals commonly referred to as the MDGs have been replaced by the Sustainable Development Goals again which will be commonly referred to as SDGs in the near future. Fire departments worldover plays a pivotal role in our communities by advancing people socially and economical through ensuring that risks as a result of emergencies and disasters are minimized.

Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 11) aims at making cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. This is supported by the fact that half of human, that is 3.5 billion people, live in cities today whereas of this figure it is approximated that about 7 million Kenyans live in the major cities in country. By 2030, according to SDG 11, almost 60 percent of the world’s population will live in urban areas with those living in urban slum areas having higher number. It notes that the world’s cities occupy just 3 per cent of the earth’s land, but account for 60-80 per cent of energy consumption and 75 per cent of carbon emissions. This rapid urbanization as is being experience in Kenya is exerting pressure on fresh water supplies, sewage, the living environment, and the public health. But this high density of cities can bring efficiency gains and technological innovations while reducing resource and energy consumption. The SDGs stresses the notion that actors in every field should localize the targets and implement using locally available and adequate resources.

Contribution of fire departments

Kenyan fire departments that fall squarely under the helm of county government, even though are immensely neglected, contributes to the SDG 11 and specifically its second last listed target of substantially increasing the number of cities and human settlements adopting and implementing integrated policies and plans towards inclusion, resource efficiency, mitigation and adaptation to climate change, resilience to disasters, and developing and implementing, in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015 – 2030, holistic disaster risks management at all levels by 2020.

There is need therefore for fire departments to come up with programmes and projects that are geared towards sustainable development and especially SDG 11 which directly requires the input of disaster management departments and more so the disaster management professionals in Kenya. Sustainable development therefore can be concluded as a way of undertaking disaster management activities to satisfy the needs of the present jurisdiction while preserving the same for future generations in the same jurisdiction.

The writer is a PhD Generalist in Public Safety Service Delivery