KMPH Fox 26 Central San Joaquin Valley News Source in Fresno, California Entertainment, News, Sports and Weather | Afghan Training Mission Gets Underway in Fresno

Afghan Training Mission Gets Underway in Fresno

By Norma Yuriar

Fresno, Calif.  (KMPH News) - A team of Afghan firefighters are in the Central Valley after making the long journey from Kabul.  The men are training with local fire and police departments to improve their rescue skills as they work to rebuild their country.

"It's going well," Kabul City Fire Chief Zabi Azhar said.  "When we go back to Afghanistan we can teach other [firefighters] and help them."

The Fresno City Fire Department is spending the next four days training the Public Safety Officers.

It's partnership with Brotherhood of The Badge, a non-profit organization that has been working with the Canadian City of Langford to sponsor the trip from Kabul to the valley.

"Even if its one life [they save], its worth it," Langford Fire and Rescue Spokesman Geoff Spriggs said.  "It's making a difference.  It won't change everything, but they want to make those improvements."

To put things into perspective - in the city of Fresno there are 23 fire stations serving a half a million people.

Fire Chief Azhar says in the city of Kabul there only five fire stations to serve six million.

"You can see they are an extremely challenged organization," Fresno City Fire Chief Randy Bruegman said.  "It's not uncommon for them to respond to many multiple vehicle accidents a day, sometimes explosions that are terrorist related and often they work 8 to 10 hours a day."

Langford and Fresno are working together to ship used equipment from police and fire headquarters from all over the country to Afghanistan and Iraq.

"Part of the Brotherhood of the Badge mission is to help stand up public safety so that our troops can stand down and help bring peace and stabilize those regions where both wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are going on," Brotherhood of The Badge Vice President, Ken Shockley said.

Chief Azhar said before receiving the donated gear - firefighters and police officers in Kabul would perform all rescues by hand.

"It's very good for us, Kabul Fire Chief Azhar said.

The Afghan Training Mission will continue in Fresno through the end of the week.  On Wednesday, the men will begin training with Fresno Police -- because of limited resources in Kabul, public safety officers serve in both branches.