EFFECTS OF TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT ON THE PERFORMANCE OF STAFF IN THE FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICE DEPARTMENT, CENTRAL REGION

ABSTRACT The roles to prevent and also fight fires, in order to save lives and protect property, are still fundamental to the goal of fire service departments in many Countries This study therefore set out to assess the effectiveness of training and development programmes on the Central Regional Fire Service department. The study adopted a mix of qualitative and quantitative research approaches and a descriptive design to study 30 fire service personnel who had participated in any of the training programmes Questionnaires were used to collect data from the selected fire service personnel and an in-depth interview with the Deputy Regional Commander was conducted using an interview guide. The study concluded that a mix of methodologies were needed to be applied in training the fire service personnel. Informative, interactive, and vestibule methods were require in the form of lectures, role plays, and simulations. The key finding is that trainees were best suited for their jobs after training and that the training programme was aligned to the training needs of the personnel. Also, the training programme had significant improvement on the performance of the personnel in all the practical fields of fire fighting. However training programmes were challenged by funding constraints to train the required number of personnel, to acquire enough gadgets for practice and simulations, as well as participatory training and also to upgrade the technology needed to improve on the fire fighting abilities of the personnel. More stress-coping activities were recommended during training. Collaborative efforts with donors to fund training and the acquisition of gadgets were also recommended.