Countywide : Latin Firefighters Learn Disaster Preparedness

To some of the Mexican and Guatemalan bomberos, or firefighters, attending the training program held in Anaheim this week, the agenda may seem like old hat.

But Ereque Hage, a bombero training officer who has attended 15 other such programs in California in the last two decades, said Tuesday that the training is anything but old.

“The training is important to us in order to update our knowledge” in disaster preparedness, the 27-year veteran firefighter said in Spanish. “I believe this is one of the most organized (training sessions) I have been to, because it has been geared to our specific needs.”

Hage was referring to the need for bomberos to be prepared in the event of another disaster like the two major earthquakes that befell Mexico City last year.

The training is sponsored by the California State Firemen’s Assn. Of the 126 bomberos participating in the training program this year, 12 are from Guatemala and 60 are fire chiefs.

The recent disaster in Mexico has played a part in the number of participants in the training program, said Joe De Leon, a spokesman for the Anaheim Fire Department. “In talking to the chiefs, we found out they were overwhelmed completely by the proportion and immensity of the disaster,” he said.

As part of the program, bomberos will be trained in coordinating support agencies, rescue techniques and other emergency assistance, he said. They will receive classroom instruction on lifesaving techniques and equipment as well as demonstrations and practice training held at the county’s three Fire Department dispatch offices in Anaheim, Huntington Beach and Dana Point.

Hage said the skills learned this week will be compiled into a manual and pamphlets to be given to all Mexican fire departments.

The training ends Friday with a banquet at the Anaheim Marriott Hotel. De Leon said he expects about 800 people to attend the banquet, including the state fire marshal.