Thread by @DisasterKenya

@NMS_Kenya One unspoken often forgotten area, NMS must begin looking at in earnest is Emergency Response. Thread. @NjokiMwarumba @NDOCKenya @DrWilsonCherui1 @SimbaTirima @PWMasakhwe_PhD
@doeyedwonda @johnnjenga @SaveLivesKenya
@Ma3Route @Hitlerlaw2
kenyans.co.ke/news/58076-key…

Environmental emergencies, including floods,fires,oil spills, chemical spills, acts of terrorism, & others, threaten the lives & health of the public, as well as those who respond. With our dilapidated response capability, where does this leave Nairobi as a Capital? @ajfactual52

Responders are normally the first on the scene of an emergency, & range from police, fire, emergency health personnel, to volunteers. As they work to bring the emergency under control, save lives& property, often being exposed to potentially harmful conditions & contaminants.

One of the most important tool @NMS_Kenya can give these responders is proper training & PPE amongst various other critical requirements. But to begin with, NMS must clean house & rid the Fire & Rescue Dept of deadwood. @Anon1KENYA @chothep @mlimakenya @ParassisO @NairobiJiji

Today Nairobi County is home to a cosmopolitan population of almost 4 Million inhabitants. Served by a paltry 700 aging qualified by experience workforce within the Fire & Rescue Dept. So apart from increasing the numbers, NMS must also look at their proficiency. @Engnr_Karimi1

Without a National training facility, something that has been missing since 1963. Can the makeshift supposed training school at the Ind Area Stn, suffice ? Not to mention it's various deficiencies as regards professional resource development.

While emergencies range in size, location, cause, & effect, most have an environmental component. Organizing, coordinating, & directing available resources, to minimize the impact of the event on the community & environment, is vital. Calling therefore, for qualified leadership.

A Chief Fire Officer attending a JICA sponsored familiarization tour, which brought about Japanese Mitumba Fire Engines as aid to Nairobi. Is not training enough, nor is QBE or Sonko's appointment of an KCAA AVSEC Officer to head such a critical Dept. Nairobi needs much more.

Discipline on the other hand has always been the Fire Dept's nemesis. Having witnessed them steal alcoholic beverages & a cash box, from a fire scene at the former Embakasi Nakumatt Supermarket years back. NMS must look at weeding out such maleficence from its ranks.

NMS must also address the various gaps & needs through research, training, & other response efforts. Begin utilizing data collection & learning from these events, as well as support research that helps develop resources for wider use. Not just rehabilitation of Fire Engines.

Across all types of emergencies, responders have short-term & long-term needs related to their mental health & resilience. Start therefore Worker Training Program, with support from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services providers & offer training to personnel overlooked.

The long & short of it all is that Nairobi is crying for a professional Fire & Rescue Dept. It is time to borrow from Brazilian Bombeiros& bring about military precision in training & response capacity development. Bring in drill instructors in to remove the chaff from the wheat.

It is about time, Military discipline was brought into Fire & Rescue. How many of your current crop can do a 2 storey building hose drill in under 5 minutes ? The fitness levels already tell you how rotten the core is. The time to act Maj.Gen Badi is now. @threadreaderapp unroll