SCBA for Kilifi County Fire & Rescue

We are fundraising to provide SCBA protection for the firefighters of Kilifi County Fire & Rescue in Kenya.

 

SCBA (self-contained breathing apparatus) provides breathable air to firefighters in hazardous environments, allowing them to enter structures to perform essential interior operations, including fire attack, victim search and rescue, ventilation, and property conservation. It also protects firefighters from toxic smoke by-products and is critical in preventing cancer and carbon monoxide poisoning.

 

For 23 years, Kilifi County Fire & Rescue fought fires with no PPE except for a helmet. Because of this, many firefighters have suffered skin damage from heat and hazardous materials, in addition to being exposed to cancer-causing carcinogens from smoke. In 2020 we received a donation from the European Support Team that provided PPE, including bunker gear and SCBA equipment. However, due to the lack of an air compressor to fill the SCBA bottles, we are still unable to use the SCBA in fires. This funding would allow us to put the equipment to use by purchasing a high-pressure air compressor to fill the SCBA bottles.

 

Kilifi County Fire & Rescue serves a population of 1.45 million. We have 68 firefighters and 4 fire stations. 80% of our calls are structure fires, with industrial fires, brush fires, and rescues making up the remainder. We are a coastal county and draw many tourists for our beautiful beaches and historic ruins.

 

Flora Kasy has been a firefighter with Kilifi County Fire & Rescue for 6 years. Outside of her shift work, Flora mentors future firefighters with Kilifi County Junior Firefighters Club. She represented firefighters in the 5th Pan African Women Congress in Ghana in September 2021, and was selected to join the Future Leaders Model United Nations in March 2022.

 

You can listen to Flora’s recent interview  on the Behind The Shield podcast, where she discusses her journey into the fire service, the impact of the pandemic on Kenya, distance running, the need for PPE, the mental health cost of being ill-equipped, women in the African fire service and so much more.


Thank you for your generosity and for supporting our Kenyan firefighter brothers and sisters!