Alberta firefighters set to help train emergency workers in Belize, Colombia
Three volunteer firefighters from a small central Alberta town are travelling to South and Central America this year to share their expertise with emergency services personnel.
Chris Layes, Rylen Trimble and Bryon Redknap of the Grande Cache Fire Department will deploy on two trips over January and February to help train firefighters and emergency service workers in Belize and Colombia.
While members of the 35-person volunteer department have travelled to participate in firefighter stair climbs before, this is the first time Layes and Trimble will be instructing abroad.
“This is definitely a first,” said Layes, 31, before leaving for Belize last week. “I’m looking forward to meeting the guys down there and seeing how they operate. Hopefully learning a lot myself.”
Layes, Trimble and Redknap are travelling with Fire Rescue International Training Association (FRITA), a non-profit organization that focuses on providing training-based international aid.
Layes, along with five firefighters from the greater Vancouver area, will provide an “information upgrade” and training on fireground safety and survival, fire suppression techniques and rescue techniques to Belize City firefighters who have the potential to hold officer positions.
A nine-year veteran of the Grande Cache department, Layes had “immediate interest” in participating in the trip, after Trimble introduced him to FRITA.
“The thought of going to the instructor side instead of the student side, I thought that would be a great opportunity and something cool to share with my kids when they get older,” Layes said.
The second trip will take place in February when Trimble and Redknap depart for San Gil, Colombia. They will be joined by one firefighter from St. John’s and one from the Vancouver area.
That crew will provide vehicle extrication training and teach firefighting and survival techniques to a small fire department of 10 to 15 firefighters.
“They’re very underfunded and they have a long way to go,” said Trimble, 24. “We’ll try to bring some tools and try to show them the ropes a bit.”
Aside from gaining experience instructing, Trimble is looking forward to learning new tactics and gaining a better understanding of Colombian culture.
“They have a negative stigma from the drug trade, but what I hear is nothing but good things about the people, the culture, the food ... I believe it will be an eyeopening opportunity and a place to make lifelong friends.”
The Grande Cache Fire Department serves a 2,000-square-kilometre area, doing everything from putting out fires, attending vehicle accidents and helping with search and rescue. The volunteer department responds to about 200 calls annually. Grande Cache is 450 km west of Edmonton.