Mark is pictured with firefighters from Knight Support during a road traffic collision training session

17 October 2008

Two of Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service’s firefighters who are currently training colleagues in Africa have reported back on how the training is going.

Watch Manager Shaun Cunningham, Bletchley Fire Station, and Crew Manager Mark Boxall, Aylesbury Fire Station, have spent the past ten days training the firefighters from Knight Support in Nairobi, Kenya. 

Since their arrival Shaun and Mark have taken the crews and their instructors through ladder pitching, basic breathing apparatus search and rescue techniques and road traffic collision procedures and practices.

Mark said: “We have been very lucky and managed to borrow training venues. To begin with all we had to pitch ladders against were trees and the side of the station, but we managed to get the use of a building for an afternoon, which gave the firefighters something to 'aim' for.  We have also been able to use another building, currently under construction, to practice search and rescue techniques.”

Shaun added: “The days are long and sometimes frustrating but everyone we have worked with has been very eager to learn. We have seen a transformation happen in front of us as they listen to our advice and develop their skills.”

The pair have also been training the crews on extrication techniques and procedures used at road traffic collisions, ensuring all crew members and managers are familiar with the management of this type of incident from dismounting the appliance to clearing away at the end.

“All the firefighters here have done very well to take on board the large amounts of information they have been given and use it effectively in mock incidents," said Shaun.

“Some massive developments were made with the crew’s ability to move safely in smoke and locate and remove casualties.”

A quiz for the crews on the week’s training capped off their time in Nairobi and provided a fun way to end the duo's visit to Kenya.

Shaun and Mark will be travelling to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, where they will be doing similar training with firefighters there.

Knight Support was set up nine years ago and relies to a large extent on goodwill donations of vehicles, equipment and expertise from the UK.

Click here to see the news release explaining why they are out in Africa and for their first report back on arrival in Kenya.