by Tim Baker
The 2024 All Kenya EMS and Fire Symposium held at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Nairobi, Kenya integrated several fields of training. Fire Prevention, Health and Wellness, Firefighting Tactics, Emergency Medicine, and Leadership were all incorporated topics.
As the lead instructor for leadership, I worked with the other instructors to use our knowledge and experiences in leadership and management to find out what some of the challenges and issues are for leaders in Kenya. We also worked to find what collaboration is taking place to bring the various agencies that were in attendance together and coming up with ideas to help work through these kinds of challenges and issues facing leaders.
We set up the training by reviewing 12 Attributes of Leadership: Competence, Constructive Influence, Grit, Humility, Presence, Resilience, Self-Mastery, Self-Regulation, Stepping Up, Trust, Vigilance, and Wellness. We worked to find out what each of these terms meant to the participants and which of these attributes they feel are part of their leadership style. The large group was broken down into smaller groups to have more personal discussions with an instructor and each small group had members from Red Cross, Industry, Electrical, Clergy, and local Government. By working in these small groups, discussions took place that allowed the participants to see that they all face similar challenges. The diverse groups also helped participants identify ways to work with each other in the best interest of their communities, especially in emergencies.
Other raining topics included: building relationships, SWOT analysis, critical incident stress, work-life balance, inspirational wellness, fitness, and relaxation techniques. In addition to these topics, participants were integrated into other classes to apply leadership skills.
One highlight from the interaction with the other groups was when those from the leadership class participated in the daily fitness drills. Having other participants see Fire Service Chiefs and other leaders participating in drills showed comradery and appreciation. Many leaders took part in the hands-on skills that were being taught in the Fire Tactics course. This allowed those leaders from outside the fire service to see how challenging it is to work with PPE and the importance of drilling to be proficient. The biggest impact may have been from the Fire Prevention class conducting a demonstration on community safety and fire safety. The leadership class noted the significant impact these types of demonstrations can have on their communities. It was also noted by participants that the Fire Service can have a bigger impact by collaborating with other community groups like the Red Cross.
I came way from the Symposium very hopeful that the leadership discussions and conversations that were had will be incorporated into daily practice and that the ideas developed from them will be utilized and incorporated by these leaders in developing relationships and or partnerships that will better their organizations and the communities they serve.
If you are interested in learning more, you can access training materials from the 2024 Kenya Fire & EMS Symposium here.
Tim Baker is a United States Air Force veteran who began his firefighting career in 1998 with the US Forest Service in wildfire, assigned to the Gila Hotshots. Tim has been a structural firefighter since 2000. Since 2012, he been the Director of Public Services Careers at Lansing Community College overseeing educational programs in Law Enforcement, Fire, and Legal Training. Tim joined his first Africa Fire Mission team in 2022.