Firefighter Ariel Josué Montes Estrada, 23, was just completing his first year as a permanente (professional firefighter) . Proud of his new career, he was gregarious, helpful and enthusiastic. We going to miss sharing fire station pizza with him.

PRESENTE

PRESENTE

PRESENTE

Details of the incident are still unclear, but initial reports indicate the firefighters were working to extinguish a small fire near the saddle tanks of the two tractor trailers in the accident when something exploded in one of the trailers, hurling large sections of sheet metal in all directions, and propelling the largest part of one of the trailers several hundred feet into an adjacent field.

Firefighter Estrada, leading the attack on the hose line was struck in the head by a large fragment and died instantly on scene. Firefighter Chacon was struck in the upper body and received multiple clavicular fractures and a severe, near severing injury to his arm. He has been transported to a hospital in Puerto Barrios where he is undergoing emergency surgery tonight. He is cautiously expected to recover from his injuries.

While the investigation is ongoing, it is reported that the police are looking into the possibility that one of the trucks was carrying an unmarked hazardous material that may have been the cause of the explosion.

Carlos Chacon helped to guide several AMEDICAusa relief missions along with other 73 Company firefighters in the small villages around Morales in the aftermath of dual hurricanes Eta and Iota in late 2020 and early 2021.

“AMEDICAusa stands ready to help the families of the firefighters and the 73rd Company of the Bomberos Voluntarios in any way they need.” said AMEDICAusa President Neale Brown.

“They have been of great service to anyone who needs assistance, and it is time we returned the favor.”

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The Great American Fire/ Rescue Road Trip – Driving for a Great Cause

If there is one thing we do a lot of, it is driving. Whether it is on remote dirt roads in rural Guatemala or on mega-highways of the United States, AMEDICAusa spends a lot of time on the road. We certainly don’t mind. We meet incredible people, see places that few ever get to see, and travel is an essential part of our mission. As of this writing AMEDICAusa and our partners have equipped and trained over 70 Fire Departments in Guatemala at no cost to them. We would like to make it 100 by the end of the year. So we don’t mind at all. If it were easy, everyone would do it.

6,000+ Miles To Save Lives in Guatemala

This trip is different. From EMS equipment in Vermont, to two Fire Engines in Texas, generous donors have gifted our program with equipment and supplies urgently needed by first responders in Central America. From Bunker Gear in Florida to a breathing air compressor in Ohio, we need to gather their kind donations and ready it for transport to Guatemala.

Among non-island nations, Guatemala is the most “At Risk” for natural disasters. A very small band of brave, dedicated, but severely underequipped first responders is all that stands between its people and catastrophe. That’s why we do what we do.

– Neale Brown, President, AMEDICAusa

Cold Hard Cash…We Need Your Help

Fourteen different Fire Departments, E.M.S. squads and private companies have made generous equipment donations to the effort so far. That will be enough equipment and supplies to outfit more than 10 Fire Departments in Guatemala. Can you step up with a couple of bucks to help get those supplies to those who need it?

Travel is costly. Rental truck, fuel, a couple of one way airline tickets to get our drivers to the fire engines… and the occasional toll… it adds up. While all of our staff, from the hard working folks who help sort, pack and ship to our President are volunteers, the hard fact is that there are costs associated with transporting the donated gear to our brother and sister first responders in Central America. They depend on you to help get it there.

It is easy to donate, just click here (or use the donate tab in the menu) to go to our secure donation page with your credit or debit card, or use your PayPal account. You can also contribute through FaceBook if you prefer. All transactions are handled by securely by PayPal and we do not have access to nor store your financial information.

Other Ways you can Help

Are you near our travel routes? Hold a small fundraiser, fill a boot, or just make us a cup of coffee and we’d be glad to stop by on our way. We might be a little bleary eyed when we get here, but we’re always happy to talk about what we do. Got equipment you would like to add to the cause? Let us know. We’ll make room in the truck.

Who Are you Guys, anyway?

AMEDICAusa is a U.S. 501(c)(3) public charity whose staff have been working in Central America for over a decade. (AMEDICA is an acronym for Aiding Medicine, Education and Disasters In Central America. The usa was added to make it clear that we are an American charity) Our primary focus is on aiding the people of Guatemala, particularly in times of disaster, which is unfortunately common in that country. Our president and volunteer instructional staff are all working or retired professional firefighters, paramedics and/or rescue specialists. Our other volunteers come from all walks of life. We have been recognized both by the NGO community and by the people of Guatemala for our humanitarian work. In 2016 AMEDICAusa was honored to receive the Monja Blanca medal, Guatemala’s highest civilian decoration, for our humanitarian efforts in that country. Interested in joining us? Click here for more information.

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Guatemala is the Most “At Risk” Non-Island Country in the world.

A recent UN sponsored study finds Guatemala’s risk of natural disasters to be extraordinarily high. While we knew this instinctively, the report confirms the difficulties our neighbors face from catastrophic events.

Santa Cruz Barillas, a remote municipality of 140,000 people, is a good example of both Guatemala’s disaster problems and AMEDICAusa’s solutions. Barillas is located in the high mountains at the northern edge of Huehuetenango province, not far from the border with Mexico. Its people are a mix of Qʼanjobʼal Maya indigenous peoples and Ladinos. Most are poor.

Though it is far from Guatemala’s volcanoes, Barillas is at risk not only from the day to day emergencies common throughout the world, but also potentially catastrophic events specific to the area. The terrain is steep. Deforestation and the ever present rains present significant risk of major landslides. It is pummeled by rain storms both from the Caribbean and Pacific. Road washouts occur every year.

Forest and other wildland fires are common in the dry season. The terrain and lack of roads makes them very difficult to control.

Santa Cruz Barillas also sits very close to the Ixcan Fault, which has historically generated earthquakes as great as magnitude 7.5. Many of the structures are of brick/adobe construction, ill suited to bear the movement of a major earthquake.

At Risk… and Alone

Against these threats the people of Barillas depend on one small company of the Bomberos Voluntarios firefighters. Consisting of seven paid (including the chief) and eight volunteers, the 109 Compañía Bomberos Voluntarios does what it can, providing medical aid and emergency services 24 hour a day to both the city and the surrounding villages. They are grossly short of equipment. Their 1963 (yes, 1963…) Chevy fire engine hasn’t run in ten years, they have little personal protective gear, ancient helmets and no airpacks. They fight fire by bucket brigade. Their nearest working fire engine is over four hours away.

“This is why AMEDICAusa was called to Barillas. Nowhere is the ‘thin red line’ of firefighters more embattled than in the remote mountains of Guatemala. “-Neale Brown, President, AMEDICAusa

Going the extra mile.

Travelling to Barillas is not for the faint of heart. The limited access is over a lonely, high altitude “highway” which lacks pavement, road signs, guard rails, services and often visibility. The road crests at well over 10,000 feet. With steep grades, often near 10%, engines strain and starve for air. Potholes are pond size, rocks and small boulders are common, and landslides frequent. It is just wide enough for two careful vehicles to pass. Along with this, daily rainstorms and thick fog occur in the afternoon, and an average speed of around ten miles an hour is the best to be hoped for.

Our trip began at o’dark thirty, leaving from Retalhuleu, near the coast. We are in the “AMEDICA-mobile” a 2007 Hyundai Tucson, two wheel drive SUV, with a 170K miles on her. (More about this later.) Fresh from the mechanic, we are hoping she is at last in good enough shape for a back-country trip.

Laughably optimistic, Google predicts an nine hour drive to cover the 175 mile journey. Armed with a full fuel tank, coffee, ham sandwiches, chicharrones, bottles of flavored agua pura and our fire gear we set off on a climb of the central mountains of Guatemala. We started with the idea that we will arrive early enough in the day to meet with the director of the 109 Company in the afternoon. Alas, that was but a dream.

Mountain Climbing

Climbing the first mountain passes was marred only by the normal predawn parade of overloaded trucks and suicidal bus drivers passing around blind corners on the wrong side of the road. Normal enough for Guatemala. It garners no more than the average number of malditos from me.

Once we begin the climb out of the city of Huehuetenango, already at over 6000 feet, it got interesting. The Sierra de los Cuchumatanes mountains are steep and the roads are “iffy”, at best. The AMEDICA-Mobile struggles for air and we are often slowed to black-smoking, walking speed. It does give us a lot of time to admire the views, when not slalom driving around wheel-eating potholes.

Cresting the first mountain range, there is a wide, relatively flat plateau, broken up by rocky outcroppings. Sheep are the common livelihood here and small shepard’s casitas dot the plain. We are occasionally delayed by wandering ruminant traffic jams. Sheep are apparently immune to the noise of a car horn.

Ominously, clouds begin forming in the next range. When we attempt the steeper climb into the high mountains, we discover two things. First, the pavement disappears between the mountain towns. Second, pockets of dense fog are becoming trapped between peaks. Once again we slow to a crawl.

Driving Blind

Between the sections of missing pavement are several picturesque towns. Signs along the road are now split between Spanish and Qʼanjobʼal. Beautiful Churches and more traditional Maya clothing. San Juan Ixcoy, Soloma, San Miguel Ixtatán and the infamous Santa Eulalia. (Note, Google Maps and Waze work here but there is a LOT of missing data.) If you get turned around in Santa Eulalia, you will find yourself at the bottom of a 12% grade that is impossible to climb when it is wet. When you say goodby to Santa Eulalia you also say goodbye to any semblance of pavement for the rest of the trip.

Having said Buenas Tardes to pavement and bouncing furiously among now unavoidable holes and rocks, we soon get to say goodbye to visibility as well. Riding along the 10,000 foot mark, we are enveloped in the afternoon fog and rain that is a daily occurrence here. Gone are the vistas, totally hidden by the clouds. This may be fortunate, as the precarious drop at the side of the road and the lack of shoulders and guardrails are equally obscured.

We are driving by braille now. Tailgating the rare vehicle in front of us to guide on their lights is helpful. The occasional pedestrian or stray dog, horse or pig appear ghostlike in front of us, then vanish with equal rapidity.

After four hours of “nose against the glass” driving we arrive finally in Barillas. The fog dissipates as we drive into the valley and the city opens up before us. There is pavement (in some places) again. Five hours after our hoped-for arrival time… tired, hungry and mud spattered, we get a quick bite and retire to our hotel.

A Community at Risk.

Barillas is a big town, but from an Emergency Services perspective, it is a lonely place. Mutual aid, help from other fire departments, is not coming. It is four and a half hours or more to the next fire station. Far from the seat of government in Guatemala City, they have been fighting for two decades for a paved highway to no avail. More merchandise comes to town “informally” across the Mexican border than via more traditional routes. But you can’t strap a fire engine to a burro carry it across the Mexican frontier.

We met with the firefighters and officers at the modest fire station near the center of town. Welcoming us as brother firefighters, and proudly touring us around their spartan quarters, they are eager to discuss the issues of the company and the problems they face. In fact, both shifts and a few volunteers are in quarters for us.

“You can’t strap a fire engine to a burro and carry it across the Mexican frontier”

Some of the challenges faced by the firefighters are obvious. Terrain, narrow, often unpaved streets, haphazard electrical wiring, both inside and in the transmission lines, lack of zoning are omnipresent in Guatemala. The mercado, a large area of ramshackle, semi-permanent stalls housing small stores, is the major target hazard. A fire here could devastate the city.

Not so obvious is that the firefighters themselves are at risk. Lacking appropriate personal gear for firefighting, sufficient water and even a working fire engine the risk of serious injury is high. Even the routine EMS run presents significant hazards.

“They robbed us in the ambulance last month” relates one firefighter. “They took everything, shoes, jackets, money and equipment. All they left us was the ambulance and stretcher.” The incident took place at around midnight on a lonely stretch of the highway, in between towns. (This story added significantly to the stress later when we get stranded by a mechanical breakdown on the highway in the middle of the night.).

AMEDICAusa Bringing Aid to Barillas Firefighters

Our mission is, in large part, disaster relief. It is our belief that equipping and training the local first responders is far more effective than simply banking supplies and money for use after an event. It also provides for aid to at risk communities for incidents that don’t make international news.

We have already prepared a shipment of personal protective equipment for Barillas, sending more than a dozen complete sets of firefighting gear to the firefighters. We have also tentatively designated a fire engine for donation to the company. It is the least we could do. Of course, we will also be providing the training to go with it.

More trips to the mountains are in our future.

It was a Dark and Stormy Night

We thought we had had enough adventure on our route into Barillas. Leaving early in the morning was an attempt to at least miss the afternoon fogs and rain on our return. Unfortunately, this was not to be. We rattled through the early portion of the trip, but rains caught us as we arrived in Santa Eulalia. This was enough to prevent not only us, but an entire parade of other vehicles from climbing the mud slicked monster slope through town. Stuck in the vehicular clump, we waited more than two hours for the police to find and clear an alternate route for traffic to pass. With the added time it was almost dark when we began the climb to the summit outside San Juan Ixcoy.

We almost made it.

Just a kilometer below the summit, before reaching the plateau, the AMEDICA-Mobile gave up the ghost and absolutely refused to go farther. After dark, in a fog and rain storm, in the middle of the road, without shoulders, and at the end of a blind corner, she stalled. Starved for air, no amount of coaxing could get the vehicle to move more than a few feet.

Many words and phrases, in several languages, came immediately to mind. None are printable here. We are at risk in the middle of absolutely nowhere.

We Get Rescued… again

There are a great many advantages to having friends among the firefighters here in Guatemala. Like firefighters everywhere, they will give you the shirt off their back (sometimes literally) if you need it. The AMEDICA-Mobile has failed us a couple of times in the past, usually near a Fire Station where we were able to get assistance.

While the firefighters in Huehuetenango are still at least a couple of hours away, I chance a call to them to ask if they know of a tow truck in the area. An hour later they have our rescue arranged. Police arrive to help us move the car out of traffic and provide a little security while we wait. Comandante Walter Gomez in his command car and an ambulance arrive in two hours to carry us and our gear back to Huehuetenango and a hotel, and a tow truck is dispatched at first light to retrieve the AMEDICA-mobile and take it to the fire company mechanic.

We dined on cupcakes and coffee that evening, but not being stuck in the mountains all night (or being crushed by an overloaded tractor trailer) was a huge gift, as was the ride back to Retalhuleu the next day.

Donations Gladly Accepted

Normally at this point in a news post, I would add a little blurb to ask for donations, and it is time for our annual donation drive. The fact is we NEED a different vehicle. As we reach out to more remote areas the need for a heavier duty, four wheel drive, RELIABLE vehicle, capable of transporting our instructors and equipment, is becoming more obvious. It is hard to drive anywhere in Guatemala without crossing the mountains, and the old Hyundai is on her last legs. I guarantee your donations will go a long way.

Including that extra mile….

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Nahualá firefighters have many obstacles to overcome, not the least of which is the altitude of their home. Located at just over 8000 feet, even cars can have difficulty with the lack of air pressure. The roads into their picturesque town crest at over 10,000 feet. Like your grandfather’s school, it is truly uphill both ways.

Our friend, Francisco Chox, known as El Chivo, the goat, has invited us here for a tour of the station and to meet the other firefighters of this highland town. Chox is widely known in the Guatemalan Fire Service community for having completed his final physical skills exam at the fire academy while wearing only the traditional Maya traje under his airpack and helmet. This makes our knees hurt to even think about. He still wears the traje on duty, though he jokes, NOT in a fire.

Francisco has often travelled far to attend AMEDICAusa classes in other parts of Guatemala. So we felt it was only fair to visit Nahualá in return.

A trip to Nahualá: 3 Hours in Second Gear

Travel in Guatemala is, at best, difficult. Driving from the pacific lowlands into the mountains can be tortuous. The roads are narrow, serpentine exercises in frustration. Swerving from lane to lane around giant potholes, immensely overloaded trucks grind their way up the road at walking speed. Every small village boasts a series of túmulos, carnivorous speed bumps, that will destroy your undercarriage if hit at speed. (Tire and wheel shops are a fixture on the road next to these hazards.) Chicken buses, brightly painted, converted former U.S. school buses and the most common form of motorized transportation in Guatemala, pass you uphill and around corners, daring descending vehicles to collide. (and they do so in alarming numbers.)

Divided highways become two lane roads, then one way, cobblestone streets without warning. While Google Maps is surprisingly useful in Guatemala, only the foolish or suicidal would ever trust a shortcut provided by the service. Add rain and the odd landslide or two, and we begin to practice our repertoire of Spanish curses. Our trip is only 60 road miles, but it takes a full three hours to complete.

From Tropical Summer to Eternal Spring

Our “base of operations” in Retalhuleu, Guatemala is in the extreme heat and humidity of the lowlands. We are pummeled by fierce afternoon thunderstorms but is sunny and very hot in the morning. It is a land generally covered in sugar cane, palms and mango fincas outside of the city. The terrain is flat, and only occasionally broken by a river or small hill. The smoking Volcán Santiaguito, one of three Guatemalan Volcanoes actively erupting, marks our departure from the lowlands, and our slow climb into the spring time weather of the mountains. Palm and banana trees give way to pines as we near the community of Nahualá. There is a 25 degree drop in temperature and a welcome breeze as we near the summit of the Pan American highway. Lago Atitlán, one of the most beautiful lakes in the world, can be glimpsed in the distance.

Nahualá is a K’iché Maya community.

Most of the residents speak K’iché as their primary language with spanish as their second.

As many as thirty percent do not speak Spanish at all.

K’iché is a melodious language, though, using sounds that do not exist in english or spanish, difficult for a gringo tongue. Inexplicably, it is odd to hear it spoken on the fire dispatch cellular telephone, as if an ancient language does not belong on modern technology. Substituting Spanish for the words that don’t exist in K’iché comes second nature to the firefighters. An interesting two and three language conversation arose, testing our patience as we groped for explanations and translations of fire department terminology.

Nahualá Firefighters: Rolling a Stone Uphill

Over 50,000 people live in Nahualá. Since most are indigenous Maya, most are impoverished. Protecting this town is one small fire company, 77 Compañía, Bomberos Voluntarios. The Nahualá firefighters are six “permanentes” (paid, career firefighters) and six more volunteers. The paid firefighters work a three man shift, on a 24 on and 24 off schedule for about $300 usd a month. Their fire engine is an elderly japanese truck, with 600 gallons of water and 100 feet of 1 1/2″ firehose. That’s it. No supply hose. There are no fire hydrants. There is no water tender (tanker). Meant for civilian use, what they call “firefighting” nozzles began life as standpipe nozzles in an American building somewhere. Of course, their bunker gear is threadbare and holed as well. Additionally, three of their twelve fire helmets date back to World War II, the others to at least the 1980’s.

Emergency Medical Care in the Cordillera

As in the U.S., in Guatemala the most common service provided by the Fire Department in emergency medical care. The firefighters are the primary source of EMS and ambulance transport throughout the country. Nahualá is no exception. The hospitals serving Nahualá are an hour or more away in either direction. Responding to these calls are two serviceable ambulance units, one a converted toyota van, the other a camper shell equipped pickup.

The van has a stretcher, an ancient Ferno model 30. Once common in the U.S. they are now largely abandoned because of the difficulty loading it into an ambulance, particularly here. (The K’iché are a diminutive people, it is the only place where we feel tall.) They can lift the stretcher only by sheer force of will. They are forced to lash it in place with rope because the floor mechanism that holds it in place is not available. On the other hand, only an old, unwheeled, wood and canvas military stretcher services the other. For bandages, equipment and other medical supplies, they rely on donations.

We talk over recent Nahualá recent calls, “War Stories” as they are referred to in the fire service. The nearest mutual aid fire companies are over an hour away. A month ago a tractor trailer plowed into a large group of people trying to assist a previous motor vehicle accident. The impact killed nineteen people and injured dozens more. Yesterday they spent eight hours on a mutual aid call retrieving the body of a french tourist who managed to walk over a cliff near Lake Atitlán.

AMEDICAusa to provide assistance

There is more to our trip than just a friendly chat. It is a chance to take a detailed look at what the fire company has, what they need and how we might help. After all, our disaster relief mission is training and equipping the fire and rescue services of Guatemala. An integral part of that process is evaluating the local services and sending our resources where they will do the most good.

Nahualá meets all of our criteria. A large population with a dedicated but under equipped fire company. No nearby mutual aid companies to assist, so we will not be duplicating services.. A willingness to train and work hard.

All we need is a little of your help.

Want to help in Nahualá and other impoverished areas of Guatemala? Donate a little of your hard earned money here. Contact us about donating used but serviceable fire equipment, PPE or apparatus. Get fully involved by joining us on a training mission in Guatemala. It is an experience you will not soon forget.

Click here to make a difference .

Your donation to AMEDICAusa, of whatever amount, helps save lives in Central America

AMEDICAusa, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) Tax Exempt Public Charity.

IRS # 81-0842688 

Donations to AMEDICAusa, Inc. are tax deductible under IRC section 170.

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In Guatemala, firefighters face huge challenges every day just doing their job. They are chronically underfunded, poorly paid and largely unequipped. Never the less, they answer the call for fires, emergency medical services, accidents and frequent natural disasters.

U.S. based charity AMEDICAusa has been working to help alleviate the problems faced by firefighters in Guatemala. Providing donated firefighting and rescue equipment, as well as training the fire and rescue services in Central America has been a hallmark of the organization.

Logistics is not sexy, but it is essential

Making sure the donated equipment gets to Guatemala firefighters is difficult. It must go to the correct fire station, be compatible with their neighbor’s equipment and be delivered in a timely manner to a foreign country some 3000 miles away. It is complex and labor intensive. Volunteers drive thousands of miles to gather donated equipment, sort and package it for the individual needs of the receiving fire departments, prepare it for inspection then deliver it for shipment to Guatemala. It is no small task.

“As our organization has expanded, we have run into a severe shortage of space” said Neale Brown, President of AMEDICAusa. “Our storage spaces were full, both in Maryland and in the Midwest. We did not have sufficient space to sort, pack and palletize the equipment to be shipped to Guatemala. We have a similar problem in North Carolina. This was causing delays due to inclement weather and lack of volunteer manpower. That does not even mention the increasing costs of storage space. Some of our supporters have been storing gear in their homes and businesses, at their personal expense and great inconvenience.”

Chicago to the Rescue

That is where the community of Chicago came in. The Sociedad Cívico Cultural Guatemala (SCCG) has long been a leader in the latino community in the Windy City. Having worked on several projects with AMEDICAusa in the past, they once again stepped up to aid their brethren in Central America. An area wide search was begun by SCCG to locate donated warehouse space to solve the problem. Friends called friends, and soon three companies had stepped up to help… Máximo Marín of Maximum Transport, Inc. donated warehouse space, the use of his tractor, fuel and driving. Humberto Morenos of MTC Morenos, Inc. donated additional warehouse space and Mike Irwin of BT Trucking donated the use of a commercial trailer.

The volunteers of SCCG and AMEDICAusa Midwest coordinators Keith and Jeanie Anderson acted as stevedores, loading and unloading the trailer and organizing the donations. The first load of donated fire equipment was moved from Crown Point, Indiana to the warehouse in Chicago on March 16th.

“This isn’t the glory part of the charity, but it is incredibly important. Everyone likes the part where they get their pictures taken in front of the big plane distributing the equipment in Guatemala. The real work, though, is getting it there in the first place. I can not thank the volunteers and donating companies enough. They are the heroes of this story.”

-Neale Brown, President, AMEDICAusa

What’s next for Guatemala Firefighters? Want to help?

Moving the remainder of AMEDICAusa’s donated equipment from Maryland to Chicago is the next step. Combining it with the equipment already there will enable the charity to send enough equipment for ten or more fire companies in Central America in their next shipment.

“Our normal shipments are generally equipment for about ten companies, but having this ‘distribution center’ will allow us to either expand the number of companies, or send shipments more often.” says Brown. “we can always use more donations of Fire engines, ambulances and equipment for the Guatemalan firefighters. They truly are in extreme need.”

“Right now, we are also in need of financial donations. We operate with totally volunteer labor, but renting the trucks, fuel and associated supplies costs cash money. While this move will save us a lot of money in the future, we are looking at a couple of thousand dollars in expenses involved in the transition. It doesn’t sound like a lot, but it is difficult for a smaller charity on a shoe string budget.”

People wishing to aid AMEDICAusa can donate here:

DONATE

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Retalhuleu, Guatemala – The polar vortex wreaks frigid havoc across the United States. Meanwhile, AMEDICAusa firefighting instructors Gary Allcox and Neale Brown work in heat stroke conditions in the pacific lowlands of Guatemala.

Today’s class is the second stop of a ten day, four city mission, involving nine different fire departments. The participants are the Bomberos Voluntarios of Retalhuleu, and the new Bomberos Municipales of San Felipe.

Unfortunately, fire engines do not come with instruction manuals

– Neale Brown, President, AMEDICAusa

These training missions are an important part of AMEDICAusa’s programs to support and aid the first responders of Guatemala. “We never donate equipment without providing the training to use it safely and effectively.” Said Neale Brown, AMEDICAusa’s president and CEO.

“In this case, we are assisting the city of San Felipe, Retalhuleu, start their first fire department. ” said Brown. “We are sending them a donated fire engine soon, and we want to make sure that they are ready to respond on Day One. By pairing them with their more experienced neighbors, they can train together and learn to work more effectively.”

The classes are structured to teach and practice basic skills for firefighters and fire engine operators. Pump operations, rapid fire attack, hose loads and SCBA practice are the order of the day. The importance of mutual aid is also stressed by involving members from the two neighboring companies to work together.

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AMEDICAusa delivers relief supplies to the victims of Volcán Fuego in Guatemala

Guatemala, Central America – Friday, October 12, 2018 – Heavy rains and storms are causing flooding and evacuations across five departments (states). Volcán Fuego erupts, and a lahar descends along its slopes prompting more evacuations. Major roads are cutoff by landslides. A magnitude 5.8 earthquake shakes the Department of Escuintla. Volcán Pacaya, only nineteen miles from the nation’s capitol, erupts sending a cascade of lava down it’s sides.

In the United States, were this to happen all in one day and all in an area the size of Tennessee, we would call it a major disaster. In Guatemala, it’s called “Friday”. – Neale Brown, AMEDICAusa

This is just one day’s news from the country in which we work. This is why we spend so much of our time and effort assisting with the training and equipping the firefighters and other emergency services here in Central America.

There is no major airlift of technicians and relief supplies, no giant, multinational effort to assist. It’s up to the local firefighters, underpaid, under equipped, and stretched very thinly, to provide what rescue and relief they can. With second hand gear, often of 1980’s vintage…aging and often unsound vehicles, tools that are several generations outdated and little in the way of personal protection, the Bomberos  are Guatemala’s only line of defense.

Getting to a Disaster before it happens

While most disaster relief organizations rely on their warehouses of supplies, large “relief” funds and on-call response teams, we believe that there is a better, more effective way to provide the relief.  For large scale disasters, the reality is that it takes a minimum of three to seven days to get foreign teams on the ground. Once on the ground, it takes several more days to get organized. Only then do they begin to make an impact. This is helpful to the survivors, but no real rescues are made. For smaller incidents, unless it is particularly noteworthy, there is little, if any, international relief at all.

The sad fact is, those persons injured, lost or entrapped in a disaster need to be reached within the first few hours after the event. The local first responders, the firefighters and paramedics in the disaster zone, are the folks who truly save lives.

By pro-actively concentrating our efforts on training and equipping these men and women, AMEDICAusa, our partners and our donors, make a more effective use of our dollars. We have a much longer reach, and effect more lives then just showing up after the fact. And that kind of relief aid can save lives every day, on the incidents that do not make the international news.

Even on Friday.

Volcán Fuego

Flooding in San Marcos

Earthquake in Escuintla

Highway blocked by tree.

Volcán Pacaya

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AMEDICAusa and REDS Team Fire-Rescue Instructors deliver school supplies in Retalhuleu, Guatemala

Annual Fire-Rescue School Takes a Break

Retalhuleu, Guatemala- It is a tough job. It’s hot, humid and the days are long. The logistics are difficult, the equipment minimal. So, it takes some tough, experienced people to train fire and rescue personnel in Guatemala.

Our annual Fire-Rescue school in Guatemala is a joint project of the REDS Team, of Garner, North Carolina and AMEDICAusa. Twenty-seven fire departments, the Guatemalan army’s humanitarian rescue team (UHR) and the Red Cross attended this year for classes including Water Rescue and Fireground operations.

After several grueling days spent in the water and on the training grounds, the instructors and the Army were given a little break. This morning, we loaded up the military truck with supplies and headed off to visit two local elementary schools.

When Programs Collide

Life for a child in rural Guatemala can be rough. Most parents work as subsistence farmers or campesinos on larger farms. Money is scarce, most living on about $1.75 a day. Clothes, books and even meals are difficult to come by. The grim statistics are that in Guatemala there are tens of thousands of school age children who are not in school. Simply because they can not afford the supplies.

AMEDICAusa provides a supply program to elementary schools in rural areas in Guatemala. Placing the basic education supplies directly into the hands of the students ensures that at least one worry is taken care of. Each packet contains enough supplies for about three months of school.

This is the first such supply trip that our instructors have experienced. But the crossover between our programs is not at all unusual. Because we work closely with the local fire departments, and the firefighters know EVERYBODY, we get many referrals of schools in need from them. Local firefighters also frequently serve as volunteers on our missions.

“Tough Guy” Hearts Melt, and it Isn’t the Heat

Our previous Fire-Rescue schools have always been at the Air Force base in Guatemala City. Logistically this was easier, and the City’s altitude provides a more temperate climate. But Guatemala City has no river, and water rescue classes require, obviously, water.

Moving to the pacific lowlands, where there are rivers, but also extreme heat and humidity, presented some challenges. However, it also gave our instructors the opportunity to see a great deal more of rural Guatemala, and to meet people outside of the fire service and military.

A classroom wall built of egg cartons. You use what you have in Guatemala.

An escuelita in rural Central America bears little resemblance to a typical elementary school in the U.S..  Construction is generally primitive. Dirt floors are common, many have bamboo walls, and electricity and running water are often only a dream. Fans or air-conditioning are unknown, even in the heat of the lowlands. The Ministry of Education provides a teacher’s salary, such as it is (around $300 usd a month), and not much else. It is one thing to know about the poverty of the Guatemalan people, it is quite another to experience it first hand.  No where is it more evident than in a rural escuelita.

Our instructors are both shocked and amazed. Seeing how little these kids have, and how grateful they are for a little help is a humbling experience. Several are so moved that they offer to come back simply to help with more school missions. We will be glad to have them.

Practicing AMEDICAusa Goggles with the kids (photo: The REDS Team)

Time to get to work.

The kids are a little shy at first. We are far from the Guatemala City or the tourist towns of Antigua and Lake Atitlán, so the children have had little or no interaction with “Gringos” before. Breaking the ice isn’t difficult, teaching the kids how to put on our our “AMEDICAusa Goggles” does the trick, along with taking their pictures and simply asking their names and speaking with them in broken Spanish.

A lollipop break with the kids

Each child is given his or her own package containing notebooks, pens, pencils, erasers and, as a small bonus, a lollipop. Everyone gets into the act, exchanging a smile, a brief word or a fist bump as the kids get their packet. The time is too brief. While all of us could easily spend the entire day here, but we have another school to supply, and classes to instruct this afternoon.

Teaching students and soldiers to put on AMEDICAusa goggles

Fire Instructor Captain Allen Jenkins distributes school supplies and smiles in equal measure

Firefighter & Water Rescue instructor David Thompson exchanges a fist bump with a schoolboy.

Water Rescue instructor Kirsten Steele, herself a teacher, with Guatemalan school kids.

UHR soldiers distribute school supplies with AMEDICAusa

AMEDICAusa president Neale Brown during school supplies mission in Retalhuleu

Teniente (Lt.) Angela Werner of the Guatemalan Army UHR

Water Rescue Instructors Kirsten Steele and Emily Harrison with some new friends

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AMEDICAusa – Delivering the goods in Canalitos, Guatemala

Canalitos: Welcome to the “Red Zone”

The cantón of Canalitos, known in Guatemala City as Zona 24, is one of the poorest and most dangerous parts of a city already infamous for gang violence and extreme poverty. You venture there with some trepidation, and only with good reason.  It is designated a “Red Zone“. Once denoting areas controlled by the insurgents during the civil war, Red Zone is now the term for particularly dangerous, crime ridden areas.

Canalitos Firefighters on scene with a  17 year old girl, victim of a gang shooting.

Emergency Services in Zona 24 are provided by the Bomberos de Canalitos. A small, very young Fire Department, their Facebook page is littered with posts of shooting victims to which they have responded. Since they have no fire engine, they run primarily out of a small “Ambulance”, a worn out Toyota mini-van. Formally the private vehicle of the Fire Chief, it is showing its age.  Bucket brigades are used to control any fires. Independent of the two national Guatemalan fire organizations, they struggle for support. Asking a Quetzal (13¢ U.S.) a month, what few funds they have come in small donations from local residents. 

Building a Fire Company in Canalitos

We do not do much work in Guatemala City. We have a relationship, of course, with the Bomberos Voluntarios and Bomberos Municipales, and both have their national headquarters in the capitol.  But, by and large, the capitol’s fire companies, while underfunded, have more equipment and training than their rural counterparts. They protect, after all, the homes and workplaces of the country’s congress, bureaucrats and most of the nation’s wealthy.

Canalitos is different. Annexed into the city almost as an afterthought – Guatemala’s major watersource of is here – few of the city’s services are available to residents. Neither national firefighting group is really interested in investing in such a poor area. Of course, very little tax revenue comes out of the barrio, so it remains largely ignored by the government. 

Enter Pablo Muralles and Angelica Garrido‎. Veterans of Guatemala’s Bomberos Municipales, they created a new fire department where none had existed. With the grandiose name “Asociación de Emergencias Medicas Bomberos de Canalitos” (ASEMBOC) they took on a small, run-down commercial building for their station  While building the department, they recruited at-risk youth to form the core of their firefighting force. Creating an alternative to the gangs and violence is important to them. 

AMEDICAusa meeting in Guatemala City with (L-R) Pablo Muralles, Angelica Garrido, and Marisol Martinez of ASEMBOC

 

AMEDICAusa Gets Involved

Guatemalans are a close people, even when far removed from home. Carlos Luna, a Canalitos native now living in Chicago, brought the fire department to our attention.  Luna runs a large Guatemalan community group in the windy city, as well as “Marimba Luna Maya” an international youth music group. He also holds down an everyday job. Carlos is a busy guy. But he still has time to try and help out his native barrio. He contacted AMEDICAusa after hearing how we help the Guatemalan fire services, and put us in touch with Comandante Muralles.  A meeting was arranged in Guatemala (to which the firefighters brought Rellenitos, one of my favorite Guatemalan foods) where we got to know the department and it’s challenges.

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A Long Journey for Fire Equipment

Of the things Bomberos de Canalitos lacks, perhaps none are so important as protective gear for the firefighters. Helmets, coats, jackets, gloves and boots are difficult to find, and very expensive in Guatemala. Even more difficult is to find them in matching colors and styles to outfit an entire fire company.It is not at all unusual to find firefighters in 1960’s era fiberglass helmets, canvas jackets and gardening gloves.  ASEMBOC had some, courtesy of Carlos and the Chicago Fire department, but not nearly enough.  Could AMEDICAusa help them out?

We had received a great donation of black turnout coats and pants from Waldwick Volunteer Fire Department in New Jersey. An equal number of fire helmets, nearly new, came from the Huntington Volunteer First Aid Squad in Long Island, New York. Boots from Pennsylvania, gloves from North Carolina. Yeah, we can do it! But how do we get it to Guatemala?

It really Does take a Whole Village

About this time, Volcán Fuego erupted in Guatemala, and AMEDICAusa was involved in the relief effort. The aftermath of the eruption brought the chapín community in Chicago together in a relief drive for the folks back home. Donations of clothes, medical supplies, food and money were being raised, and a Guatemalan-American shipping company, ServiExpress, had even donated the shipping. Carlos Luna asked if I would be interested in coming to Chicago to speak and help out at their relief event. (He also promised me the best Rellenitos north of Tikal if I would do it.)  Space could be found for some fire gear he told me.

Not wanting to show up empty handed, I managed to stuff enough sets of turnout gear, helmets, gloves and boots to outfit Canalitos into my little car and set out for Chicago.  

Chief Angelica Garrido sheds a tear while receiving an AMEDICAusa equipment donation

“I may have caused

a Fire Chief or two

to cry during my career,

but never before in happiness”

               – Neale Brown, AMEDICAusa

 

Fortunately the Guatemalan community of Chicago were spared the agony of my public speaking, but we loaded A LOT of boxes that night. Enough to fill a couple of tractor trailers with donated goods. Included in that haul were our firefighting equipment, soon to be on its way to Guatemala.

So, two emergency service agencies, one Chicago community organization, one shipping company, one Maryland based non-profit, several dozen volunteers, and several thousands of miles later, the firefighters of Canalitos are a little bit safer tonight. It makes me want to cry a little too.

Next we have to find them a better Ambulance…. anybody got one to donate?

No,really…I’m Serious. Call me.

Hard to say who should be towing who…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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AMEDICAusa  – USAF C-17 Arriving with Firefighting Equipment in Guatemala City

Firefighters Greet Giant Cargo Aircraft on the Tarmac

Guatemala City, Guatemala –  You really have to see a C-17 up close to experience the shear size of the thing. Second in size only to the Air Force’s C-5 Galaxy, the C-17 is capable of carrying enormous amounts of cargo over vast distances. Always a rare sight, this one appearing over Guatemala City is special for another reason. It is carrying a fully equipped fire engine and several tons of Fire and Emergency Medical equipment to the firefighters and paramedics of Guatemala.

The culmination of a year long AMEDICAusa project in cooperation with The REDS Team of North Carolina, and the Denton Program of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) this flight carried everything from band-aids to fire helmets for multiple Fire Departments and hundreds of Guatemalan firefighters. The supplies and equipment were donated to the effort by fire departments and rescue services from around the U.S. 

We looked like children opening gifts at Christmas! – Chief Salvador Matheu, 11 Compañía CVB, Retalhuleu, Guatemala

 

Fire Crews awaiting the arrival of the Fire Flight from the U.S. – AMEDICAusa

Guatemala has 134 Bomberos Voluntarios and 88 Bomberos Municipales* fire stations spread through the country. Few of these departments – outside of downtown Guatemala City – receive much in the way of governmental funding. These 222 stations serve a population of almost 17 million people spread over 42,000 square miles of difficult terrain. (For comparison, the City of New York has 255  stations covering 8.4 million people in 305 square miles…The State of Pennsylvania has 1852 Fire Stations for 12.8 million people over 46,000 square miles.) All of the stations struggle financially to keep their doors open, and nearly all rely on second (or third) hand equipment, generally from the U.S. or Canada.

Unloading a  fire engine from the C-17 in Guatemala

“I can’t deny that it was a big spectacle to see this huge plane landing and even more when they lowered the fire engine, it looked so tiny coming out of this big plane.” said Chief Matheu who helped AMEDICAusa coordinate the distribution of equipment at the Guatemalan Air Base. 

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Several Fire Departments get New Gear

Fire companies came from all over Guatemala to pick up the equipment allotted to them.  For example, San Pedro 42 Compañía CBM received all new turnout gear – jackets, pants, boots, gloves and helmets – for it’s 40 firefighters. Retalhuleu 11 Compañía CVB received palettes of E.M.S. supplies, a new ambulance stretcher and leather rescue gloves. San Cristóbal, Totonicapán 121 CVB finally got a fire engine, turnouts and SCBA after ten years of trying.

 

Sorting Fire Equipment at the Air Base

“It’s a difficult job.” said AMEDICAusa President Neale Brown. “There is overwhelming need and we get a lot of requests for fire equipment. We work closely with the two national fire organizations as well as with the stations themselves to determine where we donate which equipment. Often it is a question of how we can do the most good for the most people with what limited resources we have.” 

 

“Training is a big component of the program.” said Brown. “We have to ensure that the department receiving the equipment is well trained in its use, to make sure it is used safely and effectively. Some firefighting and rescue equipment can be particularly dangerous to operate. Before we donate such tools to a department we make sure that they have, or will, train with us in its use.”

AMEDICAusa runs an annual fire/rescue school in Guatemala.

Relationships with USAID and Other Agencies are Pivotal.

“Our programs would be much more difficult, much more expensive, and much less effective were it not for USAID, our donor departments and our NGO partners.” said Brown.

“Transportation costs alone would eat up most of our budget if we didn’t have Denton Program support.  Many people think that programs like ours are paid for by the government as part of a largely mythical foreign aid budget. The reality is that the U.S. budgets less than 1% annually for it’s foreign aid programs, and most of that is in the areas of security and defense. A tiny fraction goes to humanitarian aid world wide. It worries us, and other non-profits, when we start hearing all the ‘America First’ talk.  We depend on the equipment donations of U.S. fire and rescue departments and on the transportation afforded by the Denton program. I am heartened by the description that one U.S. Embassy staffer offered, that we are the best ‘good bang for the buck’ in terms of costs for humanitarian programs. “

The Denton Program offers NGO’s the opportunity to use military shipping at no cost . If there is space available on an aircraft or surface ship that is going to the desired country anyway, approved humanitarian aid can be used to fill that empty space. The bureaucratic process is generally slow, complicated and difficult, but is often worth the trouble for NGO’s like AMEDICAusa.

Get Involved!

There is an opportunity to help us with our next firefighting supply and training missions in Guatemala. The next fire engine is almost ready to go, but we always need more equipment, and cash donations to help with costs. Interested in being a Fire/Rescue instructor?  Contact Us.

“FIRE FLIGHT” Air Force crew with AMEDICAusa and Firefighters in Guatemala

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

We are always looking for volunteers who wish to help in Guatemala. Get the details here.

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

*There are two different and separate national firefighting organizations in Guatemala. Bomberos Voluntarios or CVB (Volunteer Firefighters) and Bomberos Municipales or CBM (Municipal Firefighters) . Despite the names, both organizations have career and volunteer members and a very similar rank and organizational structure. The chief difference is in how they originate, whether organized initially by a Mayor (CBM) or by a private citizens committee (CVB).  They are somewhat competitive, and sometimes duplicate services within a single area.

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