Azogues, Cañar, Ecuador (Oct 7 - Oct 18, 2008)

CAFSA's mission to Azogues Cañar Ecuador,  10,000 ft above sea level in the land of the Inca empire was not only the biggest donation by CAFSA, it was  a very physically demanding mission for CAFSA members Victor Fernandez and Lyall Hutchinson because of the elevation. CAFSA donated a Sea Container containing 150 sets of PPE and other equipment along with EMS equipment to be shipped via ship.  A 1980 75 Ft aerial donated by the City of St. Albert will be delivered in the New Year; this is the first fire apparatus to be donated by CAFSA.   

 The Azogues Fire Department is made up of 32 paid and 32 volunteer members, along with a new recruit class of 19 members joining the ranks provides Fire and EMS to the city and the surrounding area. Chief Wilson Gomez has been very active in the community to ensure that the citizens of Azogues are well served by his department. He and his administration work hard to provide training and equipment for the department and its members. The Azogues Fire department is very proactive towards training and was very involved in the training provided by CAFSA.  The topics covered in the training were HazMat response, The Wear and Care of Personal Protective Equipment, Search and Rescue   and training in the use of a donated Automated External Defibrillator. 

CAFSA would like to thank everyone who supported this mission:
    1.   Saint City Rotary Club, St Albert, Canada
    2.   Pelican Products, Canada
    3.   Saint City News, St Albert, Canada
    4.   Drayton Valley Fire Dept.
    5.   Wainwright Fire Dept.

A special thank you to!!!
Fire Chief - Mr. Wilson Gomez
Training Officer - Miss Nubia Jara
Adm. Officer - Mrs. Paola Curangui
Firefighter - Mr. Jairo Luna

Azogues, Cañar project photos

Puerto Williams, Chile (Feb 2 - Feb 17, 2008)

Puerto Williams is a Chilean port, located on Isla Navarino, facing the Beagle Channel.  It is the capital of the Chilean Antarctica Province and is the southernmost city in the world.
CAFSA was there on a mission from February 2 to February 17, 2008.  The CAFSA members traveling on this mission were: Mr. Victor Fernandez, Mr. Lyall Hutchinson, and Mrs. Corrine Berg-Turner.
The Puerto Williams Fire Department has 30 volunteer members.  Fire Chief Mr. Luis Tiznado is working very hard to ensure he has the very best fire department in the surrounding areas.
CAFSA donated 20 full sets of personal protective equipment, Pelican flashlights, 20 SCBA face-pieces, station uniforms, an automated external defibrillator (AED), an AED trainer, and manikin torsos for CPR training. The local medical clinic also got a substantial donation from CAFSA (various medical supplies).
On this mission, the CAFSA members also stopped in Santiago Chile at Station #18 Vitacura.

CAFSA would like to thank everyone who supported this mission:
    1.    Saint City Rotary Club, St Albert, Canada
    2.    Pelican Products, Canada
    3.    Saint City News, St Albert, Canada
    4.   Chilean Air Force, Chile
    5.   Mr. Claudio Flores, Antarctica's Governor
    6.   Mr. Mauricio Pena y Lillo
    7.   Mr. Luis Tiznado, Puerto Williams Fire Chief
    8.   Municipality of Puerto Williams
    9.   Cabo de Hornos Hotel, Punta Arenas, Chile
  10.   Lakutaia Hotel, Puerto Williams, Chile

Puerto Williams project photos

San Pablo, San Marcos - Guatemala (May 20-29, 2007) 

In November of 2006 Prensa Libra, the national newspaper of Guatemala, printed an article about the dream of San Pablo, a small town in the state of San Marcos.  Earlier that year, the town was devastated by hurricane Stan.  During the storm, many residents died and dozens of homes and businesses were destroyed.  The town was cut off from the rest of the country for six weeks because the bridge connecting the town to the main road had been washed away.  Local help was unavailable as neighbouring towns and villages were using their emergency resources to assist their own residents.  It was evident that San Pablo needed to develop their own emergency response capabilities; their dream was to start their own Fire Department. 

Their first step was to form the “Pro-Fire Department Association”.  They asked for help from anyone who would listen to them.  They knocked on many doors, in both the public and private sector but received little support; all of that changed however, when the newspaper article reached the desk of Mrs. Marta Aida Argueta, the Consulate General, at the Guatemalan Embassy in Ottawa, Canada. 

Mrs. Argueta began to look for ways she could help this small town of San Pablo.  During her search she discovered our organization; Canadian Aid for Fire Services Abroad (CAFSA) 

After many telephone conversations with the President/CEO of CAFSA, Mr. Victor Hugo Fernández, and the unanimous decision from the rest of the CAFSA members, it was decided that San Pablo, Guatemala would be the site of the 2007 CAFSA project. 

Through the effort of CAFSA members and the assistance of many other organizations, San Pablo’s dream came true.  On May 20th, 2007, four members of CAFSA delivered 20 complete sets of firefighter personal protective equipment (PPE); including helmets, boots, gloves, balaclavas, jackets and pants; to the town of San Pablo.  The volunteers (CAFSA members) from Canada trained the members of the San Pablo Fire Department on how to properly use and care for their newly donated PPE, and also trained them in first aid, CPR, fire prevention, and hazardous material awareness.  Additional items delivered by the CAFSA team include: firefighting manuals, flashlights, station uniforms, and an automatic external defibrillator.   

We would like to take this opportunity to thank those individuals and organizations that assisted CAFSA with this very important project.  Our mission would not have been as successful without the help of the following organizations: 

    1.    Pelican Products, Canada
    2.    Continental Airlines, USA
    3.    Mr. Juan Jose Marroquin, SOSEP
    4.   Mrs. Marta Aida Argueta, Embassy of Guatemala, Canada
    5.   Luisa's Restaurant, St. Albert, Canada
    6.   Guatemalan Association of Edmonton, Canada
    7.   Winnipeg Fire Department, Canada
    8.   SUNCOR Emergency Services, Fort McMurray, Canada
    9.   Mrs. Aura Marina de Leon Solano, Mayor of San Pablo
  10.   Mr. Duarle Licardie, San Pablo's Fire Chief 
  11.   Saint City Rotary Club, St Albert, Canada

Guatemala Project Photos

 

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