‘Life-changing experience.’ Bellefonte firefighter gears up for trip with Africa Fire Mission
An experienced firefighter, Mike Kull of Bellefonte is sharing his skills abroad and gearing up for his next trip with the nonprofit Africa Fire Mission.
Kull, a volunteer firefighter with the Logan Fire Company, is a member of Africa Fire Mission, which supports firefighting efforts in countries like Kenya, Nigeria and Malawi.
Kull learned about Africa Fire Mission on International Firefighters’ Day in 2021. Having previously traveled through the continent with his wife and enjoying the experience, he decided to sign up to volunteer. Kull is now the program’s director for the organization.
“This organization is a place where I can combine my faith, my firefighting, and my love of Africa,” Kull said.
Kull has since completed multiple trips to Africa with the group to help with educational and community programs to support local fire services. Fire services in these countries are faced with unique challenges that make firefighting even more dangerous. For example, there is no national 911 system in most African countries, so first responders are usually unaware of emergencies until hours after they occur.
For Kull, it was an eye-opener.
“It’s a life-changing experience and it’s something you can’t experience unless you go there in person,” Kull said. “Until you get there and work hand-in-hand with these people, you can’t get a grasp on it. Here in the U.S., we take things for granted. We take our fire service for granted.”
Kull said many African cities only have a few firetrucks to serve millions of people, and all of the equipment is second-hand, some even without functioning sirens. Due to the infrastructure, many places don’t have fire hydrants and traffic can cause severe delays in response times. As such, a typical mission would involve a firetruck arriving on the scene well after the fire starts, using up the truck’s water capacity in three minutes, then returning to the station to get more water. The travel time itself could be hours.
The inefficiencies in the process anger many fire victims in these countries. Kull said some firefighters he’s worked with in Africa have been yelled at and even pelted with rocks while trying to save lives. However, most of these firefighters remain dedicated to learning, improving, and serving the public.
“For the most part, these people are so hungry for knowledge and it’s so refreshing,” Kull said. “A lot of our volunteers, when they travel with us and see how hungry (the African firefighters) are for knowledge, it really invigorates them. So when they come home to the U.S., they try to make positive changes here, too.”
According to Africa Fire Mission member Wesley Richmond, the organization is “committed to training, empowering, supporting, and encouraging the fire service across Africa.” The nonprofit works to build relationships between African firefighters and the public and increase positive messaging about fire services to the community. Kull says he’s already seen a big difference.
“We’ve seen a lot of change with community sensitization efforts and fire prevention efforts since we’ve been working with them,” said Kull.
Africa Fire Mission was started in 2021 by David Moore, a firefighter from the U.S. on a mission trip to Africa. Since then, the nonprofit has facilitated trips to eight different countries, helping build and maintain fire services in communities across the continent.
Kull will be making another trip to Malawi with Africa Fire Company in June. A second trip is planned for Kenya in November. Kull said there are plenty of opportunities for people in Centre County to support Africa Fire Mission, whether it be through donations, sponsorships, or even signing up for a mission overseas. For more information or to get involved, visit www.africafiremission.org.
This story was originally published May 29, 2024 at 10:58 AM.