Team works! brings breath of fresh air for German fireman
Expert exchange assignment takes young fireman to Kenya
Last November, volunteer fireman Julian Schwab became the first Team works! participant from Germany to travel to Kenya on an SES assignment. He spent three weeks working alongside his tandem partner, SES expert Oliver Elsner, to deliver breathing apparatus courses to four different fire stations in Kilifi County and came to realise how valuable a change of perspective is.

Gaining a fresh outlook and learning from one another
This was the first trip to Kenya for the 27-year-old from near Fulda in central Germany. As well as acquiring professional experience during his three-week assignment, Julian also benefited greatly on a personal level. He explains, “My assignment in Kenya was a really interesting experience. I grew considerably as a person and benefited in various ways through discussing our work with my tandem partner, the other trainers and the Kenyan firefighters.”
Kilifi County Fire & Rescue Service was set up in 1996 and has four stations. In January 2021, the service received a large donation of new firefighting clothing and equipment, including around 80 breathing devices. The local crews learned how to handle the breathing apparatus on courses and workshops delivered by the Team works! tandem and two other German trainers from the European Fire & Rescue Support Association e.V. They practised how to use the apparatus properly and professionally in an emergency situation and developed tactics and resource deployment plans. It was an experience that made the young fireman realise how valuable knowledge-sharing can be. “I was introduced to different equipment to the things we usually use back home”, he says. “And I also saw different tactics, which I’d like to try out at our station in Germany. The inventiveness of the Kenyan firefighters and their ability to improvise really impressed me.”
Julian Schwab knows exactly what he’ll be taking away from his Team works! assignment. “By working with fellow firefighters in Kenya, I got to know people on a level that I would probably never experience as a tourist. One of the takeaways for me – personally and professionally – is that it’s possible to be much more relaxed about life than stressing all the time like we do.”
Would you like to get a change of perspective too and share expertise with fellow professionals in Germany? Then Team works! in Germany has exactly what you’re looking for:
Find out more here about the possibilities Team works! can offer you