New Year Appeal launched for team to support fire service in Kenya

Pic 1 and 2: leaving soon - three fire engines from Beds en route to Kenya
pic 3: Joseph when in UK

Bedfordshire and Luton Fire and Rescue Service crews and support staff are travelling at their own expense to help set up a fire service in Kenya - and have launched a New Year appeal to help fund the trip.

The plan follows the donation of a total of four fire engines to Kenya by the local Combined Fire Authority (CFA). So well received was the first engine and the support given that even the President of Kenya has sent his thanks back to the people of Bedfordshire and to the Chief Fire Officer of Bedfordshire Paul Fuller.

The idea started with a Church related-charity: the Onset Trust and Pastor Douglas Richards of Dunstable Community Church. The church approached BLFRS to ask if it could help them purchase an old fire engine to send out to Meru in Kenya where no fire service existed and deaths from fires are common. The Combined Fire Authority (CFA) members decided they would donate one of their own fire engines which was going out of commission.

Then BLFRS Transport and Engineering Manager and retained firefighter Ray Willett got involved. Only too aware that the fire engine is no use without a mechanic to keep it on the road, he and two colleagues travelled with the vehicle to Meru, Kenya (at their own expense aided by Kenyan Airways). A gruelling but enlightening trip saw Ray and colleagues set up the first ever firefighter training course in 2009. Within days the fire crews had stopped a school fire spreading. Within weeks they had saved the lives of two children. Since then more than 70 fires have been tackled - fires which would otherwise have swept through communities who live closely together in wooden properties.

In 2010 Fred Akandi a Kenyan who is a member of the Dunstable Community Church, and Ray Willett approached the CFA and said they has raised a further £3,000 and could they buy another two fire engines. The CFA went one better and decided to donate three vehicles which were going out of commission to the charity on condition that the £3,000 was used to fund additional community safety initiatives in Kenya.

Chair of the Combined Fire Authority Cllr Sian Timoney said: “Given the small amount of money we could have raised by selling these old vehicles, which are of little use to any UK services, we decided that the fantastic work by Fred, Ray, the charity and colleagues deserved our support.”

These three vehicles will go to Mombasa, Meru and Maua and will be followed later in 2011 by Ray and a party of 24 volunteers including two Paramedics and five Community Fire Safety Officers who will run training programmes and spread the community safety word.

CFO Paul Fuller said: “The sort of community fire safety work which we perhaps take for granted in this country does not exist in other parts of the world. There are no construction regulations to make buildings fire proof, there are no smoke detectors. I am thankful to the CFA for allowing us to make use of these defunct fire engines and proud that my staff are raising their own travel costs to travel to Kenya.”

Anyone who would like to make a donation to help the fund can do so at: Lloyds TSB, 34 High St, Bedford, MK40 1SB, Account No 40793768, Sort Code 30-90-66

(Photos from official hand over by BLFRS to charity December 2011)

Sitting on the dock of the bay...Joseph Githuka Njoroge was waiting for a day’s work at the docks in 2008 - when he was offered a job which would change his life.

He was asked to drive a fire truck from the ship taking with him three men from England who had come to show local folk how to crew and maintain a fire engine. By they time they reached their destination Joseph had volunteered to be a trainee.

“It was a lucky day for us - without Joseph we wouldn’t have made such a success of the project,” said Ray Willett.

After the success of setting up a fire service in Meru with the use of the old fire engine, Joseph was clearly at the top of the ladder. He was invited over to the UK as a guest of BLFRS to undertake nearly seven weeks training to learn skills which he is now sharing back in Kenya.

(Photo shows Joseph in the UK Spring 2010)

www.fireengines4kenya.co.uk

ends

Issued by BLFRS PRO Jacquie Manners 07971 216014

Offset Charity contact is Julian Richards 0777 425 7153

Film footage of three vehicles available from:

*Olly Palmer Dunstable Community Church
Ofc 01442 232432
Mob 07717847323
olly.palmer@mcwe.co.uk