Afghan police officers and firefighters face many of the same dangers as their counterparts in the U.S. But because they lack the same training and equipment — and also must contend with suicide car bombs — their jobs can be even more perilous.
Four Afghan public safety officers are hopeful that a week's training in Fresno will give them new tools to tackle their challenges.
"It's very dangerous for us," said Zabiullah Azhar, "but that's our job."
Azhar and three of his colleagues are in the Valley this week because of a partnership among the city of Fresno, the Canadian city of Langford and the Brotherhood of the Badge International, a nonprofit that provides equipment for Afghan and Iraqi police officers and firefighters.
The foursome, who arrived in Fresno on Saturday, have served as police officers and firefighters. While in Fresno, they will receive training in a variety of areas, including live firefighting, water rescue techniques and dealing with explosives.
Robert Garcia, center right, of the Fresno Fire Department, confers with firefighter Kim Reach, right, from Langford, British Columbia, as they give training to Afghan public safety officers Shah Wali Kohistani, left front, and Mohammad Zafar.
The need for such training and also for donated equipment is huge, said the Afghan safety officers, who work in the capital city Kabul. The city has a population of more than 5 million, but it has the same number of personnel and equipment as Fresno — a city less than one-tenth Kabul's size — said Randy Bruegman, Fresno fire chief.
Through the partnership, the Kabul police and fire departments receive items such as helmets, boots, vests and excavation equipment from Fresno and Langford, a city in British Columbia.
Geoff Spriggs, a spokesman for the Langford fire and rescue department, said the Afghan firefighters told him how they used donated equipment to lift a girl out of a well.
"They saved a life with the equipment we gave them," he said.
Zafar Sherinnoori, an Afghan police major in Kabul, said violence and fighting hinder public safety efforts.
"There are places that we can't go to fight the fires," Sherinnoori said through an interpreter.
Rescue workers struggle to work effectively in some areas, because Kabul's population has sprawled so much that some streets have not been mapped and do not have fire hydrants, he said.
Bruegman said the partnership provides good will among the participating countries and offers a fresh perspective on the desire of the Afghan police officers and firefighters to serve their country. Their goals would sound familiar to an American, Bruegman said.
"These gentlemen are no different than we are," he said. "They want to live in a free society."
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