Sixteen youths in Homa Bay are being trained to operate fire engines in a one-week programme presided over by experts from Cumbria County Council in the UK.
The council donated two fire engines and an ambulance to the county. The good news came in the wake of increased fire incidents. Residents had criticised Governor Cyprian Awiti's administration of laxity in responding to outbreaks. Many traders and residents had suffered huge losses.
On Monday, Awiti flagged off the machines at the county headquarters. He urged those taking part in the programme to take it seriously and acquire enough skills, adding that it is a way of getting access to jobs. Each fire engine has a capacity of 18,000 litres.
Also in attendance was Deputy Governor Hamilton Orata.
“The youths will be issued with certificates to confirm that they have undergone the required training in their work. The certificate will assist them to get jobs, not only in Homa Bay but also elsewhere,” Orata said.
He expressed confidence that the machines will enable the Disaster management department to respond swiftly to emergencies. Orata urged residents to report outbreaks immediately they occur for a quick response.
“A lot of properties have been destroyed in Homa Bay whenever there are fire outbreaks. But since we’ve secured firefighting machines, we should be responding to emergencies as fast as possible to avoid more losses,” he said.
The UK council promised to assist the county government to build fires station in Homa Bay town, Mbita, Kendu Bay, Oyugis and Ndhiwa.
"We’ve agreed to put up the stations for the safety to enable us to have a long-term solution to fire emergencies," Orata said.
The international chairman of the Cumbria Workington Rotary Club, Ken Kirkwood, said they are ready to work with Homa Bay government to address fire emergencies.
"We’ll always be ready to come in to assist whenever the county government calls us for firefighting and other related issues," he said.
