By J, KNA
Nakuru County’s Department of Disaster Management has embarked on a proactive planning to ensure timely and effective response to disasters with a view to minimizing the losses incurred.
The department is engaged in establishing proactive planning and timely response mechanisms geared towards safeguarding lives, livelihoods and infrastructure from natural and human-made hazards.
Chief Officer for Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance, Ms. Joyce Ncece says the County was set to partner with St. John Ambulance Kenya to establish a Medical Response and First Aid Support Division that will be integrated within the County Fire Brigade to strengthen emergency response services across the county.
Under this framework, St. John Ambulance will provide pre-hospital care, first aid and both basic and advanced life support at emergency scenes while the Fire Brigade will retain its core mandate of firefighting, rescue operations and fire prevention.
Having a medical team on-site during emergencies will significantly improve response time and enhance survival outcomes in case of any injuries.
The collaboration will also include joint fire drills, disaster simulation exercises and mass casualty response simulations to strengthen preparedness.
Ms. Ncece added that in an effort to enhance its response mechanisms, plans are underway to build a coordinated multi-agency response team to ensure a seamless, professional and rapid emergency response system for the county.
She said that the County Government of Nakuru was committed to building community resilience and reducing vulnerability to disasters through proactive planning and timely response mechanisms.
In this regard, the Chief Officer held a consultative meeting with the Regional Commissioner for St. John Ambulance Kenya, Mr. Patrick Mboma, to deliberate on the proposed collaboration.
The two agreed on the need for further collaboration between their two teams to enhance their preparedness to handle any disaster.
St John Ambulance Kenya, which was founded in 1928, is a leading provider of emergency medical services, first aid training and community health volunteer programs. They offer ambulance services, disaster response and workplace safety training (SOFAS).
They are also involved in actively recruiting volunteers for community health and emergency preparedness projects.
