Ambulance Archives - AMEDICAusa

Canalitos: How We Made a Fire Chief Cry in Guatemala

AMEDICAusa — Tue, 21 Aug 2018 02:37:26 +0000

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.

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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Ambulance and Medical Supplies Headed to Firefighters in Guatemala

AMEDICAusa — Tue, 02 Aug 2016 19:05:54 +0000

Joint Project of Swiss NGO and AMEDICAusa, Inc.
takes equipment to Santa Cruz Muluá, Guatemala

A Swiss non-profit, Ambulance4Guatemala, and AMEDICAusa, a non-profit headquartered in Frederick, Maryland have teamed up in an effort to provide donated emergency equipment and supplies to firefighters in Guatemala. A used ambulance, stocked with medical supplies, is now on its way to the small city of Santa Cruz Muluá in western Guatemala where it will serve two different municipalities and the small villages that surround them. About 30,000 families or roughly 100,000 people live in the area, most are impoverished.

AMBULANCE4GUATEMALA in New Jersey with unit bound for Guatemala

The Swiss group, Sara Berhend, an attorney, Dr. Claudine Moser, an Obstetrician and Gynecologist, and Pierre Martin are delivering the ambulance by driving it over 3000 miles to Guatemala. They raised most of the money for the purchase of the ambulance and travel expenses from private donors in Europe and combined efforts with AMEDICAusa who works closely with Guatemala’s fire services to provide equipment and training throughout the country.

Medical Supplies loaded onto the ambulance at AMEDICAusa in Frederick, Maryland

AMEDICAusa provided additional funds for the purchase of the ambulance, filled it with donated medical supplies, and provided technical expertise as well as assistance in selecting the recipient departments in Guatemala.

The Swiss team travelled from Zürich to New Jersey where they picked up the ambulance and began their travels, first to Frederick, Maryland. There they loaded the vehicle with emergency medical equipment and supplies at AMEDICAusa’s headquarters, then continued their journey toward Guatemala. They expect to arrive in Guatemala before August 20th.

Ambulance and team continue on their way to Guatemala

Ambulance donation enables unique solution for two cities

“There are two cities involved here,” said Neale Brown, President of AMEDICAusa. “One, Santa Cruz Muluá, had a small Fire Department already in service and some experience with running an ambulance. Unfortunately, their old ambulance has broken down leaving them with nothing. The neighboring city, San Felipe, had previously approached AMEDICAusa about starting a Fire Department in their municipality, but are just now starting the construction of their Fire Station, and they are not ready for the equipment yet.” Neither department had yet acquired a fire engine and depend on bucket brigades and help from distant cities for fire protection.

AMEDICAusa with city and fire dept. officials in Santa Cruz Muluá, Guatemala

“When the question came up about who should get the ambulance, we saw an opportunity to broker a deal with the two cities to enable us to serve a great many more people.” Said Brown, who has just returned from a series of meetings in Guatemala.

“We had already committed to assisting San Felipe with starting a fire department and had acquired a fire engine for them. Our initial thought was that the ambulance would go there as well. The problem was that the station is not yet built nor have they hired the firefighters and medics to staff it. We really didn’t want the ambulance to sit in the elements unused in the interim. While visiting the area, we became aware that Muluá had the opposite problem. They had the firefighters and a small station, but no ambulance.

The Church at San Felipe, Guatemala

So, we met with the Mayors and Fire Chiefs, and arrived at a solution. The ambulance will go to Muluá, and they will use it to respond to both cities, beginning immediately. When the fire engine is ready, it and the accompanying rescue equipment will go to San Felipe, who will in turn cover Muluá.

Fire Engine for being readied for donation to San Felipe, Guatemala

AMEDICAusa will be providing joint training to both departments as well, so they can work together effectively.”

While such “mutual aid” agreements are fairly commonplace within the United States, they are rare in Central America.

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