Training the Bomberos
The next BRAVE Foundation training mission is scheduled for April 12-23, 2012. We’ll be training the bomberos (Spanish for firefighter) around Guatemala in a variety of lifesaving procedures.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SHARE YOUR SKILLS WITH THE BOMBEROS? Contact us today at bravefoundation@gmail.com or visit our website at www.bravefoundation.org for more information.
Surplus Headed for Nicaragua
On November 19, the B.R.A.V.E. (Bomberos Resourceful And Valiant Efforts) Foundation, a 100% volunteer driven nonprofit organization managed by local firefighters, held an Open House where several nonprofit agencies from the Pacific Northwest were invited to stop by the B.R.A.V.E. Foundation storage area to select fire and medical surplus donations to enhance their programs around the world. Among the countries represented were Guatemala, Nicaragua, Haiti, and Mexico. More than 100 pair of bunkers, 100 SCBA’s plus spare bottles, boots, gloves, helmets, more than a dozen large boxes of medical supplies, and more are now on their way to reduce the pain and suffering for poor and under-served populations.
The B.R.A.V.E. Foundation is grateful for new friendships forged through this first of its kind project. We look forward to continued collaboration with our Pacific Northwest partners with a similar mission of improving fire and lifesaving services in developing countries.
For more information about the exciting adventures of the BR.A.V.E. Foundation, please visit www.bravefoundation.org and join our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BRAVE-Foundation.
MISSION: ”B.R.A.V.E. Foundation, improving fire and lifesaving services in developing countries.”
PURPOSE: The B.R.A.V.E. Foundation is a volunteer driven organization seeking to improve the efforts of firefighters and medical personnel in developing countries to become self-sufficient by providing access to progressive training programs, efficient facilities, and functional equipment.
This video shows the devastation and the ongoing hard work of the firefighters to rescue and recover the victims of multiple storms that have ravaged their country in the last 2 weeks. Heavy Rains Batter Guatemala
The BRAVE Foundation is supporting these efforts. Can you help? Make a donation today at www.bravefoundation.org.
The torrential rains are pounding down in Guatemala – AGAIN! Flooding in Mexico and Central America have killed 110 people and affected some 1 million as of Wednesday.
In the past week alone, two hurricanes and three tropical storms hit the region. Guatemala has 36 confirmed deaths with several still missing. Massive mudslides caused by the downpours have forced thousands from their homes.
Guatemala has declared a national state of emergency to cope with the massive damage and deal with the intense hurricane season.
The firefighters continue to do everything they can to assist with evacuations, medical emergencies, and recovery of lost loved ones. It is a big job and they need our support NOW!
The BRAVE Foundation is in a position to provide disaster relief but we desperately need your help! With your cash donation, we can move supplies quickly to help first responders provide relief to the victims of the worst flooding in years!
Please visit our website at www.bravefoundation.org TODAY to make your donation in support of the Guatemalan community. Your contribution will help our fellow firefighters and paramedics reduce the pain and suffering of families already affected by poverty and a lack of resources.
The BRAVE Foundation Board of Directors thank you in advance!
If you could take about 4 minutes to take this fire safety quiz and then vote for Merrimac Fire Dept., I would really appreciate it. If they get the most votes and buy a lot of new equipment, they may give me the old equipment they replace and I will send it to the fire department in Comalapa, Guatemala. I have been sending them used but serviceable equipment for 3 years and they could use a lot more.
Please go to this site https://www.befiresmart.com/protect-your-community/fire-safety-pledge/fire-safety-pledge-quiz/default.aspx and take a short quiz. If we get the most votes, we get $10,000.00 for our Public Education and Equipment. Liberty Mutual started this with us last year and we got the $10,000 and we would like to try again this year to win. $10,000 goes a long way to help us get much needed equipment. Once you have taken the quiz and submit it, Liberty Mutual will send you an e-mail asking to confirm your e-mail address, PLEASE confirm your address because the vote won’t count unless you do. Thanks! Joe Hull
Most calls for the bomberos around Lake Atitlan, Guatemala are for medical emergencies or rescue services. Rarely are the bomberos dispatched for a fire. But, on an ordinary evening, the bomberos at Station 120 in San Juan La Laguna, received a call that there was a house fire in the neighboring town of San Pablo. They threw on their bunker gear and boots, piled in to the rigs, and away they went. Flames and smoke could be seen for miles around.
When they arrived, they did what they had been trained to do and began attacking the fire. They soon learned that there was possibly a child trapped in the dwelling. B.R.A.V.E. Foundation president, Paul Embleton, was on this call and reports that there was no hesitation as the bomberos entered the house and began the search.
While this all might seem to be standard procedure, the one thing missing is their breathing apparatus. You see, the vehicles are all kept outside and unsecured so the equipment is kept inside the fire station, and not on the vehicles, to avoid theft. The same situation exists with the specialized rescue equipment such as the Jaws of Life and water rescue gear. In the rush to reach the fire quickly, the breathing apparatus had not been loaded.
The good news, the child was not in the house and was later found safe and sound outside. The bad news, all of the bomberos inhaled a lot of smoke and risked their lives in an effort to save a life. A simple enclosed structure where the vehicles and equipment could be secured would have changed things significantly.
The B.R.A.V.E. Foundation has made a commitment to build an Apparatus Bay at Station 120 in San Juan La Laguna so that this event does not repeat itself. With your support, we can begin construction later this year! Make a difference today! Go to www.bravefoundation.org and click on the DONATE button. You don’t even need a PayPal account to make a donation securely through PayPal!
For more information about the B.R.A.V.E. Foundation, visit our website at www.bravefoundation.org. Also be sure to find us on Facebook!
The team arrived at the Mexico/Guatemala border yesterday. The inventory lists were finalized and all should be well for transferring into Guatemala today or tomorrow. Thank you to our team leader, Julio, for his courage and leadership along this challenging and often scary journey and to all involved between Washington State and Guatemala City. The bomberos are so grateful for the support!
This week’s road trip has been anything but boring! They didn’t even get out of the state of Washington before breaking down. The front rig towing the 2nd one is toast and has been left behind. So the inventory was juggled around some to get the most critical supplies on to the remaining rig….and then it broke down! We arranged for the broken part to be manufactured locally and the team managed to get back on the road after a 3 day delay. Thank you to the fire station crew in Castlerock, WA for their support and housing of our team. You guys ROCK!
The crew has encountered a few minor mechanical problems along the way but have, at last, arrived at the Texas/Mexico border. Now the supplies will all be removed from the vehicle, re-inventoried at Customs, and then reloaded for the trip through Mexico and in to Guatemala. It is quite the adventure but the team leader is experienced with the process so we don’t anticipate any problems.
Please keep the crew in your thoughts and prayers as they begin the most challenging leg of the trip through rural Mexico.
This week, the B.R.A.V.E. Foundation sent off 2 medic units 
surplussed from local fire departments. Driven by volunteer drivers, they will travel more than 4000 miles through the U.S., Mexico, and in to Guatemala. Each vehicle is loaded with thousands of dollars in donated medical supplies and equipment.
Please keep our team in your thoughts and prayers as they make this long and challenging journey!
Since 1996, the B.R.A.V.E. Foundation has organized dozens of volunteer training teams to Guatemala which have significantly increased the ability of the bomberos to provide pre-hospital emergency medical care to the sick and injured in Guatemala. The Foundation assisted with the establishment of an Emergency Medical Technician Program throughout the country which is teaching the bomberos medical skills required to reduce pain and suffering.
The team spent a day at the Guatemala City International Airport training the bomberos in CPR and other emergency medical procedures. The new airport fire department is grateful for the donation of an ambulance and other medical supplies and equipment that arrived from the U.S. recently. All equipment used during the training sessions is left for the bomberos so they can practice their new skills and begin to use them in real life emergencies.
