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.