Rural Metro produces expatriate firefighters
Correspondent | Wednesday July 5, 2023 06:00
A few days later, student hostels were razed at Nata Senior Secondary School. In Serowe, a fire broke out at council chambers but was contained. On social media, the incidents have stoked questions about the state of alertness to contain such emergencies.
Concerned citizens are asking whether adequate measures are in place to respond promptly to major fire outbreaks. However, against this grim background, a local fire and emergency services management outfit, Rural Metro Botswana has been exporting fire-fighters to the Arab Gulf states of the United Arab Emirates, Dubai, and Kuwait.
Personnel who graduated from the company’s training programme are literally scaling the heights of the emergency profession in the region, which has a particular penchant for skyscraper buildings. This approach has spawned some of the tallest towers on earth, including Burj Khalifa, the current world record holder located in Dubai.
One expatriate firefighter is 33-year-old Jonas Moswang, based in Dubai, whose big break came in December 2015 when he joined Rural Metro Botswana as a recruit. Three years later the company sent him for further training in South Africa where he did programmes such as Fire Fighter 1 and Hazardous Materials Awareness. He supplemented the modules with Fire Fighter Level 3 Programme. In 2019 the enthusiastic young man who had spent many years looking for a job went for more specialised training.
The combination of various courses, as well as undergoing training alongside budding firefighters from all over the continent put him in what he proudly describes as ‘a state of fitness for work’. In a bid to produce the best firefighters in the industry, training programmes are accredited by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) in South Africa, which confers on holders, qualification for international jobs. Moswang explains that the Dubai job requirement was five years of experience, but the training he received from his employer was deemed sufficient. In the oil and gas-rich Gulf region said to have the largest concentration of skyscrapers globally, his job description ranges from basic fire fighting to fire management through the use of modern technology. “The training I went through was quite handy.
The only difference here is that we use advanced technology which emphasises management as opposed to actual firefighting. But otherwise what I learnt at training is very relevant and applicable," he said.
At the onset of operations, company policy was to identify unemployed youth from the local community in Borakakalo Ward, and then pan out to the rest of Molepolole. Proximity to the workplace would be less costly and the presence of infrastructure such as a modern fire station would be a source of pride, with dashing firefighters atop gleaming fire trucks acting as role models for youngsters in the area. Yet another product is Keitatole Motshereganyi, aged 31. “I work as a firefighter here in the United Arab Emirates’’. Expressing appreciation for the opportunity, he says if it weren’t for the company he would never have dreamt of working in this part of the world.
"I started off at Molepolole Fire Station. There I was trained as a Service Vehicle Driver (First Responder) and was exposed to the responsibility of being a staff representative.
That transformed me into the real firefighter I am today.” On what drew him to the world of firefighting, Keitatole explains that he used to watch firefighters in movies at an early age and the scenes left an enduring impression. When the company set up camp in his locality, his dreams could finally be realised. After recruitment, Keitatole went for training in KwaZulu Natal. Upon his return home, he applied his newly acquired skills, including extricating accident victims trapped in vehicles using jaws-of-life equipment. “This aspect of the job was a challenge but because of the good training, I was able to adapt fairly quickly.” Though the future looks bright for graduates who land jobs in the Gulf region, the company has to replace them with new personnel, whose training doesn’t come cheap. So far eight cadres have been placed in Kuwait, while four are in Dubai and other parts of the United Arab Emirates. Despite losing some of its original team, the company recognises that it also trains for the broader economy and must look beyond its workforce needs as the accredited programmes allow the cadres to work anywhere in the world.
This stance explains its reluctance to commit staff to a bond period after completion of training. “ We do not want to stand in the way of these young people when they find greener pastures overseas. We put them put through rigorous training locally and in South Africa to acquire accredited qualifications, thus allowing them to work anywhere. Despite the loss we take immense pride in producing expatriates from Botswana who acquit themselves well in developed countries,’’ said country manager, Meshack Tamocha.
Quipping that if he was younger and fitter, he would also try his luck as an expatriate. Tamocha says when vacancies arise, he identifies immediate replacements from a company database of unemployed youth in the community. "As such these young people are getting a lifetime opportunity and we are upgrading others to also qualify for overseas jobs,” he emphasises. For his part, Kweneng District Council secretary, Goleba Kgari said while government requires that each council should own and operate its fire station, his district opted for a private-public partnership model in 2015. This was meant to improve efficiencies and turnaround times in case of emergencies.
Most crucially it was much cheaper to roll out than the traditional model of setting up fire stations. According to him, the company is doing commendable work as the council does not have to spend sleepless nights worrying about what would happen in case of fire outbreaks, road accidents, and natural disasters. “As a private service provider, their processes, including reaction times are quicker. On top of that, they employ Batswana and empower them with skills. Obviously, when some leave, the company is compelled to fill the vacancies as per contractual terms,” said Kgari. The company’s current staff complement stands at 44, all of whom, except for one, are young Batswana.
Kgari has previously worked for two local government authorities, Francistown and South East. With the benefit of comparison, the seasoned administrator appreciates the merits of outsourcing fire and emergency services. Kweneng District Council no longer has to account for poor reaction times and avoidable problems such as stalled fire engines that take forever to repair. This is because the private-public partnership is governed by an enforceable service-level agreement with clear deliverables and timelines that protect both parties.