St John Ambulance has launched an emergency response and training facility in Nyeri County.
The centre which was jointly built by the St John Ambulance and the county government of Nyeri is the first in the region and will offer emergency response and evacuation services for Embu, Kirinyaga, Murang’a and Kiambu counties.
According to St John’s Chief Executive Officer, Harun Gikera, the facility which is based at the fire station in Nyeri town, will act as a training centre where members of the public and organization can get skills on disaster preparedness and disaster response.
“This is the first emergency response and training unit in the region. The facility can accommodate up to 500 trainees. We currently have 26,000 volunteers and with this unit in place, we are hoping to enlist an additional 23,000 emergency response volunteers to our fold,” said Gikera.
This state-of-the-art facility has been equipped with emergency medical supplies including a standby ambulance and training materials. Some of the courses that will be offered include first aid, emergency medical technician, basic and advanced life support, occupational safety, firefighting and, disaster preparedness and response.
Nyeri Governor, Mutahi Kahiga pledged to continue supporting the project.
Kahiga said that the new facility will boost the county’s disaster and emergency response. He also said that the project will help mitigate frequent fires encountered daily and provide emergency care services as a way of minimizing fatalities witnessed during accidents and disasters due to lack of information on first aid.
“I acknowledge the commendable efforts that you’ve showcased in delivering quality services and I want to guarantee you that we are ready to work jointly with you, our facilities are at your disposal and we look forward to working together,” submitted the governor.
During the launch, St John cadets together with the Nyeri county fire services demonstrated how to respond to a fire incident and how to provide first aid and fire safety techniques to members of the public.
By Simon Kanyora and Leah Methu
