Curahuasi, Fire Safety and  Emergency Preparedness

Mission: Team up the local fire department and 11 schools to teach fire safety & emergency preparedness. 

With a reckless disregard for their own well-being and a commendable regard for the well-being of others, Peru’s firefighters are nothing short of heroes. And it’s not just their physical health they put at risk, it’s their financial health too – all Peruvian bomberos are unpaid volunteers!

In the course of saving the lives of a population that seems to be lacking appreciation (from floods, mudslides, landslides, river & mountain rescues, fires, etc), the firefighters have to put up with more still. Fire brigades survive mostly on charity, both from home and abroad. Huge amounts of the out-of-date equipment used are the hand-me-downs given to Peru from first-world countries like the United States.

For this project we teamed up the local fire department and 11 public schools in the Curahuasi area. The now yearly program has two main goals: to educate children on fire safety & emergency preparedness, and to teach them about the importance of firefighters. Many children have been injured because they are scared of firefighters, so they hide or resist aid. What makes this project extra special to us is that we’re the first to establish this concept to the area/state. And, in addition, there’s an good chance this program will be copied by many other large cities… as this video will be advertised on the local news and newspaper.

Here is a list of the items purchased for the program: a smoke alarm; two different size fire extinguishers; one large first aid kit; ten emergency and awareness signs; two large cones; two road hazard signs; a flashing light; a glass and candle; a few toys; an emergency backpack with the following items: a battery powered radio, a blanket, a flashlight, extra batteries, a small first aid kit, tuna cans, water bottles, a rain jacket, a small mask, etc; a large plastic bin; and a special firefighter ax and water hose that they lacked.

The total cost of this project was $685 and will affect the lives of about 1,400 children/students. A very special thanks to Brendan Neely, a firefighter from Canada whom we met while in Peru, for all his input for this project.

Donate for future projects at: Donate to Mission McNeill