MCFRS-trained Haitian Firefighters Key in Earthquake Rescue
This article was written by Helen Triolo and posted on Jan 21, 2010.
An update to the article by Ben Stubenberg about firefighters from Cap-Haitien/Limbé in northern Haiti who were here in Rockville last May for fire and rescue training at the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service Training Academy.
Last May, we posted an article by Ben Stubenberg about 13 firefighters mostly from Cap-Haitien/Limbé in northern Haiti who were here in Rockville for fire and rescue training at the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS) Training Academy in Shady Grove. Pictures below of that training are courtesy of Captain Lee Silverman of MCFRS.
Yesterday, Ben gave me this update:
As soon as the earthquake hit last week, all 13 fire fighters who trained with MCFRS last year immediately rushed from their towns of Cap-Haitien and Limbe in the north to Port-au-Prince in the south, a rough seven hour drive away. Since the north had suffered relatively little damage, these fire fighters were among the few in Haiti who could respond. Most of their fellow fire fighters in Port-au-Prince were buried under collapsed buildings.
Almost all of the gear they had was what MCFR had donated over the years, including helmets and jackets emblazoned with "Montgomery County" across them, as well as the names of the Montgomery County fire fighters who had used the gear before it was donated to Haiti. The MCFRS provided training and gear, meager by our standards, made a huge difference as the Haitian fire fighters worked virtually non-stop all week to pull people from the wreckage and rubble. Chief Ardouin Zephirin, whom many here remember as the leader of the Haitian contingent that trained with MCFRS, was quickly put in charge of the Haitian rescue operation by what was left of the Haitian government. A few days later, Chief Zephirin and his team that had enlisted every available fire fighter alive in Haiti linked up with foreign rescue services arriving to help, including a team from Fairfax County Fire Department sent by USAID's Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance. Incredible stories of bravery by these heroic men and women in Haiti have yet to be told. The residents of Montgomery County can take great pride in the initiatives and contributions of its fire and rescue services that helped Haiti in its greatest hour of need.
Ben Stubenberg is VP of TractorShare, a locally based 501(c)3 non-profit active in Haiti with equipment for agriculture development and civil disaster support. TractorShare has worked closely with Haitian fire and rescue workers and is committed to helping them during this crisis. To learn more and donate, please see their website www.tractorshare.org.
Firefighters from Cap-Haitien/Limbé training with MCFRS in May 2009
Yesterday, Ben gave me this update:
As soon as the earthquake hit last week, all 13 fire fighters who trained with MCFRS last year immediately rushed from their towns of Cap-Haitien and Limbe in the north to Port-au-Prince in the south, a rough seven hour drive away. Since the north had suffered relatively little damage, these fire fighters were among the few in Haiti who could respond. Most of their fellow fire fighters in Port-au-Prince were buried under collapsed buildings.
Almost all of the gear they had was what MCFR had donated over the years, including helmets and jackets emblazoned with "Montgomery County" across them, as well as the names of the Montgomery County fire fighters who had used the gear before it was donated to Haiti. The MCFRS provided training and gear, meager by our standards, made a huge difference as the Haitian fire fighters worked virtually non-stop all week to pull people from the wreckage and rubble. Chief Ardouin Zephirin, whom many here remember as the leader of the Haitian contingent that trained with MCFRS, was quickly put in charge of the Haitian rescue operation by what was left of the Haitian government. A few days later, Chief Zephirin and his team that had enlisted every available fire fighter alive in Haiti linked up with foreign rescue services arriving to help, including a team from Fairfax County Fire Department sent by USAID's Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance. Incredible stories of bravery by these heroic men and women in Haiti have yet to be told. The residents of Montgomery County can take great pride in the initiatives and contributions of its fire and rescue services that helped Haiti in its greatest hour of need.
In May 2009, MCFRS provided training and gear for this group of firefighters, now active in the earthquake rescue operations in Port au Prince
Ben Stubenberg is VP of TractorShare, a locally based 501(c)3 non-profit active in Haiti with equipment for agriculture development and civil disaster support. TractorShare has worked closely with Haitian fire and rescue workers and is committed to helping them during this crisis. To learn more and donate, please see their website www.tractorshare.org.
