March 6th, 2015 – Mogadishu, Somalia: Eighteen Somali fire-fighters are undergoing a five-week intensive fire fighting course at the East Africa School of Aviation in Nairobi, Kenya.

The course is centred on the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) training curriculum and will equip the trainees with advanced skills in fire fighting.

It is a follow up to another fire fighting training that the group took part in, in 2014.

At the end of the training, the Somali fire fighters will also be better placed to give first aid and manage trauma in fire victims.

The five-week training was opened by Deputy Mayor of Mogadishu Imam Icar who thanked the trainees for professionalism and swiftness with which they control fire outbreaks in the city of Mogadishu. “Last year they distinguished emergency related fires that broke out in the city which were around 78. They responded immediately to the calls which were received by their department”, said the deputy mayor.

He said similar training would take place in different regions in Somalia with the support of donors.

The training is funded by AMISOM Trust Fund through the United Nations Support Office for African Union Mission in Somalia (UNSOA).