Since 2019, the Fire Department of Kabul City and the Aga Khan Agency for Habitat (AKAH)/FOCUS Afghanistan have operated under a standing agreement for technical support and the exchange of best practice. In early September, that partnership produced a three day, fully practical training in search and rescue and first aid for Kabul’s first responders.
Kabul is among the fastest growing cities in the world, and its Fire Department bears much of the responsibility for responding to the emergencies that accompany that growth. To address this need, the department requested AKAH/FOCUS’s support, seeking hands-on instruction in the use of its equipment along with the drills and simulated exercises that develop the coordination required for an effective rescue.
Fifty-three fire personnel trained alongside six members of AKAH/FOCUS’s Search & Rescue Team, covering the full arc of an emergency response: disaster assessment, incident command and coordination, urban search and rescue technique, casualty management, first aid, evacuation procedure, rope rescue and the safe use of personal protective equipment. Facilitators built realistic disaster environments using rubble piles, collapsed structures, confined spaces and obstacle courses, and firefighters worked through search operations, victim location, hazard marking, structural assessment, rescue planning and casualty extraction.
“We have attended many training courses in the past from different organizations, but this one was practical, challenging, and real. The facilitators put us in true to life scenarios, and that has genuinely strengthened our capacity to respond in real emergencies.” Mr. Shamsul Haq, Fire Department of Kabul City.
The training’s value became apparent almost immediately. On the second day of the course, a fire broke out in Kabul City, and firefighters undergoing training that morning were deployed to respond that same afternoon. Applying the protective equipment and coordination procedures they had just learned, they managed the incident safely and effectively before returning to complete the remainder of the course. The real-life incident functioned as an unplanned field assessment of the training’s practical value, which the participants met successfully.
“We are sincerely grateful to AKAH for building the capacity of our Fire Department personnel in timely search and rescue operations. The training also equipped our personnel with knowledge and skills on the proper use of PPE and first aid, helping them respond to emergencies more safely and effectively. AKAH is the only INGO that has provided us with this valuable support, and we sincerely appreciate their help to improving the capacity and safety of our Fire Department personnel.” Deputy Head of the Kabul City Fire Department, His Excellency Amin, (translated)
The training strengthened the Fire Department’s institutional capacity by cultivating a cadre of trained first responders capable of rapid deployment to disaster affected areas and effective assistance to the communities that depend on them. AKAH/FOCUS Afghanistan and the Fire Department of Kabul City intend to build on this foundation through continued technical exchange under their ongoing agreement.
