Volunteer Fire Fighters Graduation
9 November 2011
G4S and Ministry of State for Special Programmes partner to provide volunteer fire fighters training
Saturday 22nd October….The huge losses caused by fires in Nyeri region are likely to be a thing of the past after 40 volunteers graduated with fire fighting and first aid skills today.
The volunteer fire fighters, underwent a two-week intense training program, on how to fight fires and administer first aid to fire victims in the event of an emergency.
Organized by the integrated security solutions company, G4S Kenya Limited and the Kenya Emergency Medical Technicians Council, the training came as a response to the poor handling of fires during the many fire outbreaks that have in the recent past been synonymous with not only the region but the country at large.
Speaking during the graduation ceremony, G4S Deputy MD and Corporate Affairs Director Jack Muchira said the recent spate of fires across the country calls for more trained fire fighters to be able to contain and manage incidences.
“As part of appreciating the support of Kenyans, G4S is partnering with Ministry of Special Programs and organizations like Kenya Emergency Medical Technicians Council to train volunteers across the country on how to respond to fire incidences. This partnership is a positive step in increasing national disaster preparedness,” said Mr. Muchira.
Since initiation of the programme three years ago, G4S Fire Services has trained and equipped 125 personnel with fire fighting skills. This year’s training is the first to be conducted outside Nairobi. G4S intends partner with the Government in order to carry out this exercise across the country.
Nyeri County has experienced its share of fire incidents this year, with the latest being at Mweru High school, where some of the school’s dormitories were razed down. Early this year, five children were also burnt to death in their home.
It is for this reason that the Nyeri Town Member of Parliament, who is also the Minister of State for Special Programme, Esther Murugi Mathenge decided to utilize part of her Constituency Development Fund kitty to sponsor the training of Volunteer Fire Fighters.
“The volunteer fire fighter graduates will go a long way to help mitigate any disasters when fire erupts and more importantly be able to call for assistance from the Nyeri emergency services when required and play a useful part in their response,” added Mr. Muchira.
While officiating at the graduation ceremony for the graduads at Kamukunji grounds, Ms Murugi expressed her concerns over the recent loss of lives to fire and called for more caution, and urged the public to stay away from scenes that are likely to cause fires.
“The country has experienced several incidents of destructions and fatalities caused by fire tragedies. The public should also desist rushing to scoop or siphon fuel from tankers,” said the minister.
The recent fires that have wrecked havoc and left a trail of deaths and destruction include the Sinai fire in Mukuru slum in Nairobi and the Busia fire which involved a fuel tanker.
G4S fire protection and safety solutions, is Kenya’s first fully-fledged private sector fire service, established in 2002. The department is well-equipped including trained personnel who have helped to put out fires in Nairobi during distress and emergencies. It has built a reputation of product and service quality and expertise in providing fire protection and safety measures.
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About G4S
G4S is the world’s leading Risk management and secure logistics provider with key
operations in over 100 countries across six continents. In Kenya G4S has set up the
pace in Risk management solutions for decades backed by a team of over 15,000 highly
skilled staff. The company provides specialist security solutions to over 5,000
customers across a range of sectors including: government, utilities, financial
institutions, leisure and tourism, and transport.
For more information on G4S, visit www.g4s.com.
Currently, G4S fire protection and safety solutions, has 5 response stations strategically positioned to respond to fire call outs from all directions of Nairobi, including, Industrial Area (Enterprise Road) station, UNON station, Serena Hotel, Witu road G4S headquarters and at EABL which is a dedicated station to serve the client.