Mission Fire Rescue Service is sharing some of its expertise with fellow firefighters in Peru.
Assistant Fire Chief Norm MacLeod left for Cusco, Peru on Nov. 3 and will be there until Nov. 17 to help with a training program as part of the Fire Rescue International Training Association (FRITA).
It is the 10th time MacLeod has gone on a FRITA mission, having previously been deployed to Paraguay (three times), El Salvador (five times) and now Peru for the second time.
During this deployment, MacLeod is one of a team of four firefighters – Surrey, North Van City, Alberta and Mission – who will be presenting and training the firefighters of the Pisac area.
“The organization, FRITA, we run a number of deployments throughout the year. So we also go to Belize and Chile and Colombia, and each community has their own unique needs.
“We try to match their needs with our instructors’ capabilities,” MacLeod said.
In Peru, specifically, local firefighters are looking for training in wildfire management, first aid, handling hazardous materials and, MacLeod’s training component – structural firefighting strategies and tactics.
MacLeod said the local firefighters are split into four groups. There are some experienced officers and firefighters as well as newer firefighters and recruits. Each day, one of the four instructors takes a group to teach a specialty until they have received all the training.
“On the fifth day, we do some scenario-based training so they can take all those skills that they’ve learned and talked about and put them into action,” MacLeod said.
He has been involved in one training session a year for the past decade, but this year is a little different.
He will be involved in two training missions this year as he plans to head to El Salvador in a few months.
MacLeod said many fire services around the world either need help or offer it.
“All across Central America, they are very resource-limited. They look for support from their brother and sister agencies throughout the world. It’s not just Canada that is going to these areas; it’s also European teams and teams from Australia.”
While FRITA helps to provide technical expertise, the learning process works both ways.
MacLeod said, in North America, firefighters rely on their hydraulics and other devices – things that can be repaired or replaced by a mechanic.
“Down there, they don’t have that. So if something breaks, it’s not fixed right away. They really, in a lot of ways, have to make due with those limited resources. So for us going down there, and seeing how they manage in this environment with these limited resources, it’s a real takeaway for us too – to make us better prepared to be able to do work on scene if we don’t have that equipment. If that equipment that we rely on breaks, what’s plan B?
“Overall, it’s a good way for our community to support another community that has a real need, and if we can provide that support, it’s just a win-win for both communities,” MacLeod said.