Local safety equipment, including a full firetruck, has passed its allowable certification date, but it is still fully functional. Since Canadian regulations forbid using it anymore in this country, northern volunteers with Firefighters Without Borders (FWB) has gathered it up into a massive care package for fire departments in Peru.
"The donated items are still in good working order and will provide the firefighters, known as bomberos, with the ability to deliver emergency services more effectively and efficiently in Peru," said Regional District of Fraser-Fort George emergency services co-ordinator Melanie Perrin. She is a veteran firefighter in the Prince George area, and has travelled to Peru on past missions with Firefighters Without Borders.
The surrounding areas of Kitimat, Smithers and Prince George contributed to the shipment. It is currently being housed in the Beaverly Volunteer Fire Department and gets directed south this weekend.
The largest single piece of equipment is the 1976 International platform/ladder truck from Smithers, which also donated a 1987 Amertek aircraft crash response truck with dry chemical capabilities. Another gifted truck arriving this weekend is a 1978 Ford engine coming from Kitimat's fire department. Beaverly VFD is donating storage space for the gathering fleet, as is 100 Mile House where the convoy will park overnight on their way to Vancouver.
"Along with these apparatus, we anticipate filling a cube van with donated gear and equipment that [Perrin] has been collecting from around the Prince George area," said FWB Canada president Bob Dubbert, acting-captain with the Vancouver Fire Rescue Services. Dubbert is travelling to Kitimat at his own expense to drive their donated vehicle to the Prince George rendez-vous, then other FWB volunteers will convoy the equipment to Vancouver where it will all be packaged into ocean shipping crates for the voyage to South America.
In addition to Peru, some of the collected items will benefit firefighters in Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic and Greece.
The firefighters' own costs are self-paid. The shipping costs are being paid through donations to FWB. Anyone wishing to contribute to these expenses can do so online at http://www.fwbcanada.ca/how-you-can-help/donate/.
According to Perrin, the fire departments she saw in Peru are staffed by trained volunteers who cover the nation's firefighting duties similar to how Search And Rescue societies cover missing persons incidents in B.C.
"There are approximately 10,000 male and female bomberos protecting the citizens and property of Peru from 196 fire stations," she said. "While the country moves forward with a booming economy, the fire service is also trying to modernize with their main emphasis being on improved training and equipment. Over the past two years, FWB Canada has donated three apparatus, hundreds of sets of turnout gear, SCBAs [self-contained breathing apparatus] and tons of other firefighting equipment to Peru. The Peruvian Fire Service have expressed their gratitude for these donations and quickly become proficient in the use of these donated items and quickly put them into service in the communities they serve."
Overall, the B.C.-based FWB Canada charity has, since 2008, donated 13 fire trucks, more than 1,000 sets of turnout gear, over 400 SCBAs, and other gear totalling 20-plus tons of equipment valued at more than $2 million. Recipients have been located in Belize, Philippines, The Congo, El Salvador, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru and Thailand. Furthermore, training missions have been sent from Canada to El Salvador, Paraguay, Peru, Panama and Thailand.
"Firefighters from all over B.C. have participated in the training, using their own vacation time and paying their own airfares to participate," said Dubbert.
