Mission

Africa Fire Mission at the Inaugural World Fire Congress

Africa Fire Mission at the Inaugural World Fire Congress

From May 7-8, 2024, delegates from over fifty countries gathered in Washington, DC, USA for the inaugural World Fire Congress. This historic event was established by the US Fire Administration with many other partners to connect the fire service around the world and offer an opportunity to strengthen and empower firefighters and their communities. Members of the Africa Fire Mission team were present during the congress and helped to ensure that representatives from Africa were invited as delegates.

Africa Fire Mission at FDIC International 2024

Africa Fire Mission at FDIC International 2024

Africa Fire Mission attended FDIC International this year! The Fire Department Instructors Conference is one of the largest firefighting conferences in the world and it gave our team members a great opportunity to network with members of the fire service community. Our team had a busy week connecting with organizations and collecting gear donations. We’re grateful for all the wonderful people we were able to connect with!

Serving In Nigeria with FCT Fire Service and IHVN

It was great to be back in Abuja, Nigeria in January and early February!

An AFM team of six provided training to FCT firefighters, IHVN staff and partners from the “Committee of Stakeholders on the General Safety & Security of Cadastral Zone C00 Abuja FCT.” The training allowed the AFM team to assess the capabilities of the firefighters as well as gain a better understanding of the community’s perspective of firefighters. Training for the FCT Fire Service focused on enhancing fire response capabilities, promoting utilization of available equipment and tools for firefighting, and enhancing community awareness.

Team member Mike Kull elaborated that “we were able to provide quality training on a wide variety of topics - Breathing Apparatus, Ladders, Hose Drills - Firefighters from FCT Fire Service were eager to learn and we expect to see rapid and positive results from this training. We realize that development is a slow process but we have high hopes for the firefighters here in Nigeria.”

Head of Operations, FCT Fire Service, Engr. Adesina Abioye, stated that the training has updated Fire Service Staff with modern professional ways of rescue and firefighting, and served as a refresher course on fire prevention and administration for the Senior Staff who participated. “The importance of the partnership cannot be overemphasized; it has brought tremendous benefits to the partners and the stakeholders community. What would have cost the FCT administration a huge sum of money was made available at no cost due to partnership,” he said.

AFM also conducted a needs assessment to identify tools and equipment needed to further develop the FCT Fire Service and donated firefighting equipment. This equipment included firefighting coats, boots, gloves, suspenders and helmets for enhanced effectiveness in responding to fire incidents and saving lives, property, and critical infrastructure.

We are grateful that IHVN is committed to collaborating with FCT Fire Service to enhance the capabilities of the fire service and look forward to continued collaboration in Nigeria.