Kane Co. firefighters lend a hand to brethren in Chile
Firefighters from Elgin plan to travel to Chile help their South American counterparts deal with the ongoing challenges they face in the wake of two earthquakes — one on Sunday — and this past summer's mining disaster.
Fire departments in Elgin, South Elgin, Pingree Grove and Hampshire have already shipped donated equipment for the firefighting force in Rancagua, a city located 60 miles south of Chile's capital of Santiago, and about a 3½-hour drive north the epicenter of the February 2010 earthquake. On Sunday. a magnitude-7.1 earthquake shook the Araucania region on Sunday. Rancagua is about a five-hour drive north of the epicenter of Sunday's quake.
Now 10 to 15 members of the Elgin Fire Department are planning a trip there Feb. 17-24 to train the city's volunteer firefighters on how to use the equipment, much of it a major improvement from the tools they currently use.
Henoch Fuentes, a pastor at Evangelical Covenant Church of Elgin and chaplain for the Elgin Police Department, reached out to firefighters in Elgin and the surrounding area after seeing the lack of resources firefighters in his hometown of Rancagua have. He was visiting his sister, a church pastor there, when the February earthquake hit.
A 40-foot truck filled with structural firefighting gear, the “Jaws of Life,” nozzles, foam educators, and a thermal imaging camera are in transport to Chile.
“I was really touched by the action and response,” Fuentes said. “They really want to help.”
Departments here no longer use the equipment since it doesn't meet National Fire Protection Association standards, but the equipment exceeds what firefighters in Rancagua have, said Elgin Lt. Robert Bedard, who is organizing trip to Chile.
“This stuff has no value to us or departments in the United States,” Bedard said. “If you take a snapshot of Rancagua it looks like it's the 1950s (here).”
But sending the equipment by itself wouldn't be as beneficial unless the firefighters there knew how to properly use it, Bedard said. For instance, the donated thermal imaging camera is likely to be the only one in the entire country.
About half of Rancagua's 140-person volunteer force will take part in the training. The Elgin crew will give tips dealing with fires that spread from house to house, which is relatively common. Building codes allow structures to be built closely together, creating a “nightmare” for firefighters, Bedard said.
There will also be cars available for demonstrating how to use extraction equipment.
The total trip cost is estimated at $17,000 — which means only 10 firefighters will likely go even though more expressed interest, Bedard said.
The February earthquake continues to have an effect on Rancagua's infrastructure, so the crew from Elgin won't be staying at a hotel, but at the homes of Rancagua firefighters, Bedard said.
The trip will largely be funded through private donations, and a nonprofit group has been set up. Donations can be sent to: Firefighters to Chile, 1151 Lillian St., Elgin, 60123.
“We want to save lives. That's the bottom line,” Fuentes said. “It's an awesome experience to see the firemen from all over wanting to share and caring enough for the people (there).”