Kirtley will train firefighters in the Soweto township, who, in turn, will train fellow firefighters in the techniques of educating the public to reduce risks of fire. We will help to develop a training program and a certification program to do that. Kirtley will face new challenges in South Africa. The township on which Kirtley will focus his efforts is known outside the African continent largely as the scene of violent rioting during the struggle against apartheid. Today, Soweto and surrounding townships are comprised of shantytowns at high risk for unintentional fire, he said.
Residents heat and cook primarily with coal oil.
Candles are a common source of light. Both of those characteristics boost fire danger. Kirtley is a former Canon City, Colo., firefighter and former Colorado Springs Fire Department training officer. Family ties brought the Boise City native back to the Oklahoma Panhandle two years ago, when Kirtley accepted the Guymon fire chief's job to be closer to his aging mother. Kirtley plans to take his wife and three teen-age children to South Africa.