(700 WLW)- A member of the Cincinnati Fire Department is currently providing outreach to firefighters in Kenya with the locally-founded non-profit organization, Africa Fire Mission. This is Captain Matt Flagler’s fifth trip of this nature to Kenya.
Last week, the group took a fire prevention camp to 1,000 children in settlement communities. This week, they began the Kenya Fire Academy in the town of Thicka, which is about 2 hours outside of Nairobi. The training consists of week-long courses in the following subjects: Fire Prevention Train the Trainer, Leadership, Basic Firefighting, and Emergency Medical Services. The team anticipates hundreds of attendees.
In addition to providing training, the team is awaiting delivery of a shipping container with hundreds of sets of firefighting gear and other equipment that was donated by departments across the U.S. “Our mission is to train, equip, and empower firefighters across Africa. I am motivated to serve because of my Christian faith and my love for firefighters and the fire service,” said Flagler of his participation.
The trip is voluntarily funded by Africa Fire Mission members’ private fundraising efforts and online donations. The organization also accepts clean, usable fire equipment and training materials to be shipped to firefighters in Africa.