Kenyans should learn how to respond during emergencies

Hardly two weeks ago, several police officers were ambushed by bandits, and murdered.

As usual, there was gnashing of teeth and for a one short minute, the country was united in grief, but it so happens that these police officers waited for help for 30 hours.

That raises the question, which has been asked several times: How ready are Kenyans when it comes to managing disasters or handling emergencies?

There is one man who can answer that question considering that he has seen it all, and from the look of things, he might see much more.

His face has become synonymous with Kenya’s management of disasters, from floods, fires, droughts, 2007-08 post-election violence, the 1998 bomb blast, refugee operations and the recent Westgate Mall terrorist attack.

The man is Abbas Gullet, the secretary general of Kenya Red Cross.

A busy man by all standards, he spared some time and told Sunday Magazine, and Kenyans in general, how we can improve preparedness for emergency situations in our homes and work places.

At the risk of being dubbed prophet of doom, he says that in one’s lifetime, a disaster that could threaten all that a person has built over the years is likely to occur.

While first response partners may be constantly blamed for lack of disaster preparedness, everyone is responsible to some degree.

What happens if a child breaks a leg at home and the parents are not there? Would the domestic worker know what to do? 

What if a fire breaks out in the workplace — are the employees aware of the procedures of handling an emergency and leaving the building to an assembly point?

Gullet defines disaster as a “disturbance of normal setting when a group of persons are affected and distressed from natural or man-made catastrophe.” 

LOG IN OUR EYES

Natural disasters include floods, drought, famine or epidemics such as the ongoing Ebola outbreak.

“Some expected natural disasters can be prevented through prior planning such as building bridges, dams and diversion for  flood waters in such places as Budalangi”, he says.

Man-made disasters can be caused by conflicts, fires, oil tankers explosions or acts of terrorism.

Kenya’s national disasters are usually a stark reminder of how unprepared as a country we are to handle emergencies.

But before we remove the speck in the State agencies’ eyes, we should first examine the log in our own eyes.

How prepared are we in our homes when it comes to handling injuries, cuts, burns or even fractures and do members of our families know who to call in case of a fire or any other emergency?

FIRST AID KITS

He says that members of a household should know how to respond to small, medium and large crisis.

There are all sorts of home remedies that people use and which could actually worsen an injury.

Many a time, people apply toothpaste on a burn yet the only recommended first aid treatment for burns is cold water to cool off the affected area.

Gullet, himself a trained first aider who served as a youth Red Cross Volunteer for eleven years says it is imperative to have at least one person per household who is trained in first-aid.

Equipping family members with such skill allows them to know how to act  during emergencies and they could actually save a life or lives.

First aid companies offer basic courses for domestic workers as well as full courses on basic first aid that other family members can attend.

Kenyans should learn to own fully equipped First Aid kits in their homes, vehicles and workplaces.

These are available in supermarkets, or can be bought from emergency services companies. Alternatively, people can create their own First Aid boxes by using plastic containers and placing first aid manuals, adhesive bandages, antiseptic lotions, splints, scissors and gloves among other things.

AWAY FROM CHILDREN

They have to ensure that the kits are replenished regularly, and all the expired items disposed of.

These kits should be kept  away from children, but should be made accessible to adults.

To be adequately prepared for fires, kitchens should have fire blankets which can be used to cover a curtain or any other inflammable fabric that catches fire.

Having a multi-purpose fire extinquisher is an added advantage, but some form of training is required so that people can know how to use them properly.

Every family should post a list of emergency numbers in a visible place so members can call for help when the need arises.

Crisis management experts recommend that every organisation should have a crisis management plan (CMP) for possible disasters such as fires, acts of terrorism or employee strikes amongst others.

Abbas says that disasters can be foreseen, but it is unknown when or how they will occur therefore potential emergencies should have a detailed plan on how each hazard can be mitigated.

Resources and funds should then be allocated for each potential emergency such as taking up insurance covers for some of them so damages do not bring down the organisations.

A crisis communication plan (CCP) should be prepared to clearly indicate which spokesperson/persons should address the public and how particular information will be relayed at specific times to prevent sending out conflicting messages.

Gullet recommends that employers should always do a daily head count to know how many staff are in the building at any one time.

“When a mosque under construction collapsed in Pate Lamu, it was difficult to know if everyone had been rescued because a head count had never been conducted,” he recalls. “Frequent emergency and fire drills should be conducted so that all staff know what to do and where to go in case of an emergency.”

He adds that organisations should have an assembly point where head counting can be done to ensure that all staff are safe.

“We also recommend that corporate companies include an ambulance pick-up in their employees medical covers. Many people die in the first few minutes of an accident because of poor or lack of pre-hospital care.”

Some counties have paid for the services of Advance Life support Kenya Red Cross ambulances which are like a mobile Intensive Care Units and provide free ambulance pick ups for their constituents.

Fifty per cent of the ambulance pickups are pregnancy and delivery related cases which help reduce the maternal mortality rates, however more resource mobilisation is needed to improve health care at the county level.

Even as these facilities are made available, Gullet says the responsibility to be safe lies with an individual, more so in a public place or a building.

“Be alert. Be aware how to get in and out of a building and know where the fire exits are located,” he says.

“Children should be trained on disaster response. They should know their parents’ names and contacts and should be taught on how and from whom to get help when the need arises.”

LESSONS FROM WESTGATE

No matter what happens, Gullet, a father of four, cannot field questions and fail to talk about the Westgate terror attack.

“We were crazy to go in without protecting ourselves but our urge was to get people out,” he says. “When we arrived at Westgate, all entry points were sealed.

“We went up the ramp to get ambulances and staff inside in order to get people out of the mall. This job is not for the faint of heart, some of the scenes were gruesome and our staff who were involved in the response had to go through debriefing with psychologists and we were able to share our feelings.

“This psychosocial support is still going on for the victims and others affected by the Westgate incident.”

To be better prepared for disasters, Kenya Red Cross, in conjunction with the government has since intensified training staff and volunteers on how to handle mass casualty incidents.

They are planning to hold national drills involving all first response partners such as the police, medical institutions and fire fighters to practice the manoeuvers.

On how he copes with all the gruesome scenes and the brutality he sees, Gullet says “I have seen lots of disasters and emergencies and each case is different.

“In the MV Bukoba tragedy in Tanzania, a boat capsized killing 600 and we had to remove bodies from the water. Some of the coping skills for the work are acquired through training.”

Gullet receives victims of interethnic clashes who were airlifted by Kenya Red Cross Kenya at the Wilson Airport in June 2013.