Trained firefighters and medics are Poland’s showcase in East Africa

Following its success in successfully supporting the development of firefighting services in Kenya, the Polish Centre for International Aid has launched similar activities in neighboring Ethiopia. In this East African country, PCPM will equip and train local firefighters, emergency medics, and veterinary services.

In Ethiopia, which has a population of 130 million, emergency services have very limited resources to carry out life and health emergencies. Rapid population growth (the population has increased more than sixfold in 60 years!) and uncontrolled urban expansion have dramatically reduced the effectiveness of emergency services while increasing the balance of losses in building disasters and fires. The toll of natural disasters, such as forest fires and floods, is also growing in East Africa as a result of climate change.

– Ethiopia’s firefighters and emergency services are unprepared to face these challenges primarily due to a lack of professional training. There is no vocational training system for firefighters here,’ says Adam Kukliński from the Polish Centre for International Aid project coordinator.

Ethiopia’s population is growing tremendously – 40 years ago, the country had as many inhabitants as Poland. Today, there are almost four times as many. However, population growth has not been matched by the development of public services, including emergency and medical services. Ethiopia remains one of the poorest countries in Africa, with a GDP per citizen of US$1,200 (below Haiti or Laos).

Poland’s Showcase in East Africa

The PCPM estimates that the beneficiaries of the emergency services support program will be approximately 16.8 million Ethiopians who live in the program areas – mainly the capital, Addis Ababa, and regions in the south of the country.

The Polish Foundation has been conducting similar activities in Kenya since 2014. Today, the Kenyan firefighters and specialists trained by the Poles are helping their Polish colleagues to professionalize emergency services in neighboring Ethiopia.

– We are passing on unique Polish solutions and know-how to the Ethiopians, just as we are doing in Kenya and also in Tanzania, where we also have a presence. We are becoming a showcase for Poland in East Africa,’ says Wojtek Wilk, president of the PCPM Foundation.

The project is spread over 2.5 years and will last from June 2024 to December 2026. It will cost PLN 6.4 million, and the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs will provide the money under the ‘Polish Aid’ program.

Training and equipment for Ethiopian firefighters

Throughout 2024, the value of firefighting and medical equipment purchases for Ethiopia exceeded PLN 730,000. In October, Polish and Kenyan PCPM trainers led training sessions for instructors from 11 firefighting units in Addis Ababa.

PCPM-trained instructors will now be able to share their knowledge and skills with other firefighters operating in the Sidama region (central part of the country) and Southern Ethiopia (the area near the Kenyan border).

As a result, firefighters from villages such as Auasa, Yirgalem, Wolayta Sodo, Arba Myncz, and Dilla will be trained. The project coordinator mentions that the local units will also receive the necessary rescue equipment, including personal protective equipment and firefighting equipment.

In addition to training, the PCPM plans to upgrade the training facilities at the Addis Ababa firefighters’ training center and retrofit the unit with sludge pumps, among other things. Interestingly, some of the equipment donated to Ethiopia was produced by Polish manufacturers.

– Thank you for fixing the hydraulic equipment. A boat for flood operations and rope equipment would also be helpful. We have received adequate training from the PCPM, but unfortunately, there is a lack of equipment,’ says Tilahun Tola, Deputy Commissioner at the Addis Ababa Fire and Disaster Risk Commission.

– The problem in residential areas is clogged drainage lines that become clogged with sand, soil, and rubbish. We use pressurized water and water pumps to clear them. However, we lack sludge pumps,’ – Tola adds.

Medics and veterinarians in Ethiopia also benefit

The effects of the ‘Polish Aid’ funded by our Ministry of Foreign Affairs are also educating Ethiopian emergency medicine and veterinary services.

Over three years, Polish experts from under the PCPM will train more than 200 people working in ambulances that provide pre-hospital and perinatal care. Support will also include retrofitting ambulances, which, as Kuklinski explains, ‘do not even have basic equipment and need renovation.’ In 2024, the PCPM Foundation trained 106 medical staff members and ambulance drivers in delivering pre-hospital care.

Assistance concerning livestock, on the other hand, consists of training veterinary services in the Selamago district in the southwest of the country.

– The PCPM has received requests for assistance from the local authorities in this region. The trained workers will be given equipment and medicines to vaccinate cattle. This will enable communities in the Omo Valley region to rebuild their farms, which have been affected by recurrent natural disasters, points out Adam Kuklinski.

The project to support Ethiopian firefighters, paramedics, and veterinary services is an extension of the development activities that the PCPM Foundation has been carrying out in Ethiopia since 2015. On the ground, the Ethiopian Ministry of Health, the Addis Ababa Fire and Disaster Risk Management Commission, and the authorities of three regions in the south of the country, among others, cooperate with the Poles.

The value of the Module 1 funding is PLN 1,599,679. The total value of the task is PLN 6,396,073. The implementation of the project includes: conducting training and purchasing equipment for the fire brigade, ambulance crews and veterinary services in Ethiopia.