PV Bomberos, Getting the Support WE NEED -

by Hook or Ladder!

By Stan Gabruk

We at Angels for Mexico have seen the public interest grow as the weeks go by for the under-funded, under-equipped Bomberos or, in English, firefighters of Puerto Vallarta. Lots of things have been happening in places you'd never expect in the past few weeks.

First, we have Jack and Barbara McReynolds becoming more and more active in the cause as they just donated a refrigerator that was being replaced to our Bomberos this week. This is just one of the things they've been doing in the background. They've been spreading the word better than I can and we're seeing results. These beautiful people have put us in contact with high level people in the state of Texas, all of Texas, and hopefully I'll be able to report some more good news soon, stay tuned!

One thing that is essential as a Fire Fighter is the ability to breathe fresh air in a burning building or in any situation where smoke inhalation can cause injury or death. But for the longest time these brave souls have had to brave smoke through a wet rag as it covered their mouth. Fire fighting is the most dangerous of all jobs and without breathing apparatus, it's just more dangerous. Imagine you had to run into a burning building to look for people with nothing but a wet rag over your mouth as a filter in the effort to save lives. It's hard to imagine, but that's exactly what's happening.

That's why this week we're very happy to announce that Travis Belisle, Fire Chief of the Somerset Wisconsin Fire and Rescue Dept. has graciously donated 10 sets of Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA). This includes mask, hoses and bottles! So we'd like to take a minute and thank Fire Chief Belisle and his Fire Fighters for donating this life saving equipment. It's impossible to predict how many lives this will save in the days ahead. They are also donating 10 sets of clothing (jackets, pants) and some boots. These guys may never know how much this helps every man, woman and child in Puerto Vallarta!

The donations of the items mentioned above are wonderful, but it creates another issue and that is: How are we going to get this stuff down here to PV? This is the question that doesn't have an answer at the moment. In previous donations like the refrigerator from the McReynolds, the fire trucks, and now the SCBA gear, the money isn't there to transport it here and it's not something the taxpayers would be interested in paying for from North America. So we're trapped in a sense that now we have these things, how do we get them here? It's not like we can drive across town and just pick them up.

This dilemma is growing since we're now in talks to bring down two ladder trucks and at least two ambulances that we badly need. These may just wind up coming down in a caravan that will be driven by firefighters from the local areas as they make their way down here. That is really a spectacular idea that will happen in September - if all goes well. We'll be talking more about this in the weeks to come.

The bottom line here folks, right now we have more than six hundred pounds of equipment waiting for a "ride" to us. It's estimated that it will cost $1,200.00 USD to ship this equipment to Puerto Vallarta and that's where we're short. For this reason we're looking for donations or ideas on how to settle this and other future problems of this sort as we get more and more support from the firefighters of Canada and the United States.

Remember, the power of words can move mountains and will save lives. If you want to be a part of this, it's as simple as telling someone about this situation. Everyone knows someone and they in turn know someone else. If you want to donate time, money (your truck to pick stuff up) or as I just mentioned, words, it would be appreciated by those who will never know your name. But in the end, it will save lives. So if you have anything to donate from the kitchen, home, or garage, we'll get there and pick it up the best way we can but it may take a few days, so please be patient.

For me, it's a pleasure to be involved in a project as worthwhile as this. I'm working with wonderful, concerned citizens that care about the people who live, work and visit Puerto Vallarta. I'm proud to be associated with these fine people and I look forward to when we can all look back and say "Remember when the Bomberos were…"

You can contact Christena through the Angels for Mexico web site at: www.angelsformexico.com - Calgary Chapter - for donations or more information. You can also contact Angels for Mexico - PV Chapter - through Director Eric Carlos at 322 889 7833 during regular business hours here in Puerto Vallarta.

http://www.vallartatribune.com/localnews/589index.html