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Project EVA - Emergency Vehicles to Africa

PROJECT PROPOSAL

Proposal: To build and consolidate the functional capacity of the Emergency Services in Zinder, Republic of Niger, West Africa.

Objectives

1) To acquire emergency vehicle(s) i.e. Fire Appliances / Ambulance vehicles.
2) To ensure the road worthiness and continued functional capacity of the vehicles
3) To raise funding to transport / ship / deliver vehicles to Zinder
4) To raise funding and / or seek volunteer assistance to maintain the donated vehicles.
5) To raise funding and / or seek volunteer assistance to repair and maintain existing emergency vehicles in Zinder.
6) To assess the nature of ongoing interventions by the emergency services
7) To assess / evaluate existing capacity of the emergency services in Zinder (equipment and training)

Benefits

For the Fire Service in Zinder, the donation of viable equipment will provide:

1) a major improvement in the Zinder Fire Service’s ability to serve their community;
2) a major morale boost to the Service personnel;
3) a renewed sense of pride in their equipment and their unit;
4) an awareness of, and a sense of association with the worldwide network of fire fighters and rescue services.
5) Building the functional capacity of the Zinder Fire Service

For the Fire Services of Ireland, the donation of viable emergency vehicles will show the Fire Services of Ireland:

1) extending material and moral support to rescue services functioning in poverty ridden countries;
2) to be taking a pro-active role in poverty alleviation in Niger;
3) increasing their awareness of other rescue services functioning in developing countries and their problems;
4) fulfilling Corporate Social Responsibilities and supporting the reuse of equipment that has limited use for their own needs.
5) To be extending the functional life expectancy of emergency vehicles which, in essence, equates to recycling..

For the People of Zinder, the donation of viable rescue equipment by Ireland’s Fire Services will offer the population:

1) Improved rescue service in the community both urban and rural;
2) Re-assurance for the protection of their livelihoods;
3) Civic pride.

PROJECT ORIGIN
Note: The NGO placement was with Goal, however Goal no longer operate in Zinder and have no interest in being involved in provision of a fire engine to Zinder.
 Between June and September 2006 Red Tobin and Joanna Church carried out assignments with an international NGO, as Livelihoods and Watsan Programme Managers respectively, in the post-emergency climate that prevailed in Zinder, Niger.
 During the rains, a school in Zinder suffered flood damage and funding from Dublin was identified for its rehabilitation. However, prior to fixing the damage to the classrooms, the cause of the flooding had to be addressed so that the school would be safe from further damage and the standing water, which is a breeding environment for mosquitoes, would be minimised.
 The work involved the clearance of a nearby storm drain which had become blocked with domestic waste. The drain was underground and was considered to be too dangerous for human entry. Assistance of the fire service was requested in order to use their high pressure equipment as hiring a suitable pump was not possible.
 The fire service personnel entered the manholes and used the fire hoses at full pressure to release the blockage. They then manually cleared the waste from the manholes. On completion of the operation the flooding had receded and the drain was functional.
 In the aftermath of the work, a visit was carried out (by Red Tobin) to the Zinder Fire Service HQ and the operational status of the service was confirmed as being one vehicle. This vehicle is required to service an area over 2.25 times the size of Ireland. It was at this point it was decided to try and acquire a second fire engine for Zinder from Ireland.
 The firemen of Zinder are trained professionals and proud of their unit. Their station is spotless but their ability to provide a reliable emergency service is hampered by their equipment. Because of lack of routine maintenance and money for parts they are and remain almost totally emasculated.
 The week following the drain clearance, over 600mm of rain fell in a couple of hours during a violent storm. During that night the weight of water and the force of the run-off caused several houses collapse. Four people died. The fire service was called, the ambulance wouldn’t start, but the men went with their pick-up and tender appliance and helped to get the injured to the hospital and to take the dead to the mortuary.
 Following the storm incident an emergency financial package was granted to help repair the fire service vehicles and some of the portable pumps but at the time it was recognised as a stop-gap situation and has been recently confirmed as such.
 Dublin Fire Brigade has donated one standard fire engine, fully serviced, for transportation to Zinder.
 Plan Ireland has agreed to accommodate this project by helping with fund raising activities, hosting the project on their website and processing all monies raised. Plan will also assist with in-country logistics when the fire engine reaches the African Continent.
ZINDER FIRE SERVICE
 The 31st Security Fire Office Commandment (Zinder) was created on 1st October 1992. Their objective is to ensure the protection of the population and their assets in the event of an emergency. The role of the fire service has to be viewed in the broader poverty of the region. In Niger, as in the rest of West Africa, to lose one’s possessions through fire or natural disaster is to lose one’s livelihood, something that is particularly difficult to recoup.


 The region of Zinder (the city and commune) covers an area of 155,778 km2 which is 12% of the landmass area of Niger and is 2.25 times the landmass area of the Republic of Ireland.
 The population of the Zinder region was estimated at 2.4 million people in 2006 and there is one dedicated emergency person for every 9,600 people (in comparison to Dublin’s 1 to 1,000 ratio).
 Zinder has 1 fireman for every 625km2 in comparison with Dublin’s 1 fireman for every 1km2.
 The work of the rescue service is constantly increasing. Ten interventions in 1992, increased to 226 in 2006 and 115 by the end of the first quarter of 2007. The latter is an increase of 44% when compared to the same time period in 2006.
 The Fire Office is still using the same equipment that was allocated to it at its inception of the service in 1992. The equipment has deteriorated over the 17 years of service and has not been upgraded or adequately maintained. The ability to respond to the increasing number of emergency call-outs is severely hampered by the lack of viable equipment.
 The nearest operational station to Zinder is in Magaria, 90 kilometres to the west.
 The service currently relies solely on a Mercedes-based appliance that is functional but in need of serious mechanical intervention. The ambulances (Land Rover Series 3 and a Nissan Patrol) are both non-functional. Their other vehicle, a Nissan Pick-up is functional following the replacement of its engine in 2006.

 The fire service has a full array of equipment including diesel and petrol pumps, breathing apparatus all of which has ceased to function because of a lack of routine maintenance.
 During the drought and famine in 2004-2005, the Zinder fire service used their appliances to transport potable water to areas stricken by drought. They had, at that time, a large capacity Berliet which is now completely non-functional.
 The 31st Security Fire Office Commandment (Zinder) would ideally benefit from two standard fire engines, a road ambulance and a four-wheel drive vehicle that could be converted into an off-road ambulance, in addition to ancillary emergency equipment and spares.


THE ROUTE
 Niger is landlocked so delivery of a vehicle would have to be either by air or by land. Air delivery of a 13-tonne fire engine would be too expensive so it is considered that the vehicle will have to be delivered overland.
 To drive the vehicle from Ireland to Niger is not considered viable as the vehicle is already second-hand and any additional mileage should be minimised.
 To avoid the rainy seasons of West Africa, the months of July to September should be avoided for delivery of the vehicle.
 The vehicle will be exported from Dublin by sea to the West African port of Cotonou in Benin (adjacent to the west of to Nigeria) and driven along the main roads, approximately 1000km, to Zinder in Niger. This route minimises administration as there is only one border to cross.
 A NGO was set-up in Niger by local professionals for this project. It may however be easier for Plan Niger to employ the personnel on contract for this project to organise logistical issues of the journey and to act as translators.
 In the event of a television documentary being made about the journey of the fire engine, a diversion could be made to record Plan’s work around Mono (120km west of Cotonou) in Benin. In addition, on route to Zinder, just north of the border with Benin, Plan operate programmes around the region of Dosso, a major town in Niger.

ESTIMATED COSTS
 It is estimated that funding in the region of €28,000 will be required to deliver one standard fire appliance to Zinder. This cost includes shipping, fuel, Niger administration, insurances, etc. as follows:
Item Unit Amount Rate Cost
Shipping 13 tonne fire engine Sum - - €7,000.00
Fuel for fire engine for 1000km drive litre 1800 €0.80 €1,440.00
Support vehicles Day 14 €60.00 €840.00
Fuel for support vehicles litre 600 €1.00 €600.00
Niger administration costs Sum - - €800.00
Import costs Sum - - €200.00
Visas No 8 €200.00 €1,600.00
Flights No 4 €1,000.00 €4,000.00
Medical insurance Sum - - €1,000.00
Vehicle insurance Sum - - €500.00
TMB & health issues Person 4 €300.00 €1,200.00
Accommodation Person day 56 €50.00 €2,800.00
Food & water Person day 56 €50.00 €2,800.00
Contingency % 10% €24,780.00 €2,478.00
TOTAL €27,258.00

 The above costs assume four people (driver, mechanic plus two) travelling for a two week period with one support vehicle and driver. An exchange rate of €1 to CFA 656 has been used. In addition a 10% contingency has been allowed.
 It is estimated that an additional appliance, transported as part of the same trip, will increase the costs by about €8,000. Additional smaller vehicles, transported as part of the same trip, will increase the costs by less than €5,000 each.
 To organise an on-going (say 3-year) maintenance contract for a mechanic to service the vehicle(s) in Zinder has been estimated at less than €5,000 per year.

PROJECT EVA MANAGEMENT
Chair: Red Tobin, email: red@redarc.ie mobile: 0876695365
Secretary: Mitzi Sinclair, email: mitzisinclair@iol.ie mobile: 0863130645
Treasurer: Joanna Church, email: jo@redarc.ie mobile: 0868591036

"Where is it now................?"

Former DFB / Civil Defence Volvo FL6/14 Timoney WrL - 88 D 18864 - was recently disposed of at auction.

Does ANYONE know where it is now ???

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