Bend firefighters deliver 7 tons of gear to Nicaraguan fire service
On Friday, the Condega Bomberos Project, a project of the Bend Firefighters Foundation, delivered more than seven tons of used but still serviceable firefighting clothing and equipment to the Nicaraguan fire service in Bend’s sister city of Condega.
The transportation of the equipment was coordinated through the USAID’s Denton Program, which performs humanitarian missions as part of their training with the US Air Force Reserve.
In February, Bend firefighters moved 32 large crates and miscellaneous loose equipment from a storage container in Bend to the Kingsley Airfield in Klamath Falls. A C-17 from an air base in South Carolina flew to Kingsley several weeks ago, picked up the crates of equipment and flew it to Managua, Nicaragua. This service was of no charge.
The shipment was eagerly met by the chief of Nicaragua’s volunteer fire service, Chief Jaime Delgado Cultura, who processed the necessary paperwork in Nicaragua to allow the aircraft and equipment to arrive and to be officially accepted through customs.
This is the third shipment of equipment from the Bend firefighters since 2005, when the project began. Initially set up to help Bend’s sister city, Condega, the program was expanded to assist all of Nicaragua’s fire service.
As the second-poorest country in the western hemisphere, Nicaragua relies heavily on assistance from other countries to equip its fire departments. The Condega Bomberos Project has been instrumental in the expansion of the fire service in Nicaragua, Bend Fire Battalion Chief Dave Howe said.
The Bend Firefighters Foundation and members of the Condega Bomberos Project wish to thank the many local, regional, and national fire departments that have donated equipment. Additionally, they want to thank the many Bend Fire members, city of Bend employees and the Bend citizens who have contributed to the success of this program.
