Sixteen young people in Homa Bay have begun a one week training on how to operate fire fighting engines in case of fire outbreaks in the county.
The youth drawn from the eight sub counties were being trained by a team of fire fighting experts from Cumbria County Council in United Kingdom.
The Cumbria County Council has donated two fire fighting machines and an ambulance to Homa Bay government to be used during fire emergencies.
Speaking on Thursday after meeting the team at the county government headquarters, Homa Bay Deputy Governor (DG), Hamilton Orata and majority leader, Walter Muoki said they expect the youth to acquire enough skills to operate the machines after the induction.
Each fire fighting machine has a capacity of 18, 000 litres.
He said this was a way of creating job opportunities for the youth in the county.
“The youth will be issued with certificates to confirm they have undergone required training in their work,” Orata said.
The DG expressed confidence that the machines would help the County government and residents to counter fire incidents in Homa Bay town.
Orata expressed concerns over heavy losses where a number of traders in the town had incurred, over lack of fire fighting machines.
He added that a lot of properties had been destroyed in Homa Bay whenever there were fire outbreaks but hastened to add that with securing fire fighting machines response to emergencies would be faster.
The Cumbria county council will in two months time also assist Homa Bay county government to build a fire station within Homa Bay town before they go to other seven sub-county headquarters.
“We have agreed to put up the stations for safety and to have long term solution to frequent fire emergencies in the county,” he added.
During the meeting, the Cumbria Workington Rotary Club, International Chairman, Ken Kirkwood said they would take to UK another 10 selected youths for training on fire fighting and safety measures.
He said they had a stock of firefighting equipment in Cambria and they are ready to provide them whenever there is need.
“We will always be ready to come in to assist whenever the county government calls us for firefighting and other related issues,” Kirkwood said.
By Davis Langat/Fred Abuya
