Unusual Cargo to Fire Dept, San Cristóbal, Guatemala

San Cristóbal, Totonicapán, Guatemala-

AMEDICAusa volunteers arrived at the Fire Department here with an SUV filled with, by Firefighter standards, very unusual cargo.

AMEDICAusa bringing donations to the Fire Dept of San Cristóbal, Totonicapán, Guatemala

Donated by the well-to-do of Guatemala City and others, the boxes, bags and cases contain not helmets, nozzles or other tools of the trade, but instead dresses, chic sportswear and other goods one might expect to find in a good downtown store.

Fire Departments in Guatemala receive little in the way of public funds. There are no property tax bases, government grants or city budgets to defray the costs of operation. Each department must find, or create, its own sources of funds, just to keep the doors open month to month. Some rent space in their fire station to small businesses, some sell potable bottled water, and some allow the creation of a marketplace in their parking lot.

In this case the donated goods will be sold in what amounts to a yard sale to raise money to help keep the lights on and the doors open.

Donated Fire Engine for delivery to San Cristóbal

Part of AMEDICAusa‘s effort to train and equipment firefighters around this Central American country, this mission is a prelude to the delivery of a new used Fire Engine and equipment acquired and donated by a joint effort between The REDS Team, of North Carolina and AMEDICAusa .

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“The first line of defense in any disaster is the local Fire Service – firefighters and paramedics.”

– Neale Brown, retired Fire Department Officer and Paramedic, President of AMEDICAusa.

REDS Team members packing donated fire equipment bound for Guatemala

“By undertaking a proactive mission to equip and train these departments, we hope to make more of a difference in disaster situation in Guatemala,” Said Brown. “The first 72 hours after an incident begins are the most important, that’s when lives are saved and the most property salvaged. Unfortunately, that is also before international disaster relief teams can arrive.”

AMEDICAusa, inc. is an I.R.S. 501(C)(3) registered charity, headquartered in Frederick, Maryland.

We are always looking for good, new or used Fire, Rescue and EMS equipment to help in Guatemala. Contact Us!

Donating to AMEDICAusa ‘s ongoing programs is easy. Get the details here.

A Busy week for AMEDICAusa and VP Silvana Ayuso in Guatemala City

AMEDICAusa‘s Vice President Silvana Ayuso is always up to something good…this week it’s a series of meetings with the new Guatemalan Minister of Health Dr. Alfonso Cabrera, Minister of Agriculture Mario Méndez, Minister of Rural Development Jose Moreno and the US Embassy Civil Affairs team to see how our programs might best help in Guatemala. Next on her agenda is the Defense Ministry to co-ordinate arrangements for our Fire and Rescue training mission in October with the REDS Team.

AMEDICAusa’s Silvana Ayuso with Minister of Health, Dr. Alfonso Cabrera, and the US Embassy Civil Affairs team

AMEDICAusa’s Silvana Ayuso with Minister of Agriculture, Mario Méndez, and the US Embassy Civil Affairs team

AMEDICAusa’s Silvana Ayuso, Guatemala Minister of Rural Development, Jose Moreno, and the US Embassy Civil Affairs Team

El Cambray Dos Disaster Relief

AMEDICAusa at the El Cambray Dos relief center

December’s Disaster Relief Delivery

Last October, the village of El Cambray Dos, near Guatemala City, was buried in a landslide that destroyed the town, killed hundreds of residents, and left may more homeless. Many of the survivors are still without jobs or permanent homes and some children are now without parents to care for them.

They are living in a makeshift shelter, about the size of a elementary school gym, housing some 200 people.

AMEDICAusa personnel have been delivering relief supplies to the shelter since the landslide in coordination with CONRED, Guatemala’s disaster response agency.

https://www.amedicausa.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/CarmenAdmusic.mp4

Carmen’s Story

New Friends at Panajachel Fire Station

Don Julio, Chief of Department, Panajachel

33 Compañía , CVB, Panajachel, is a typical Guatemalan Fire Department. Located across Lake Atitlán from the village of Tzununá, it houses an elderly donated U.S. Engine company, a makeshift taker, ambulance and an old rescue boat. They host a marketplace in their parking lot to try and raise a few funds for operations. As part of our efforts at Tzununá we stopped in to talk with them and see what equipment they had and what they might need. They, like every department in Guatemala, are short of hose, nozzles and personal protective equipment… but in particular, they had no portable lighting system to allow them to operate at night.

33 Compañía CVB – Panajachel Fire Dept.

AMEDICAusa has now acquired a donated portable generator, work lights and electrical cables for Company 33 which are now awaiting shipment to Guatemala.