It’s been a project two years in the making, and last month Burnaby firefighters made good on a promise to deliver a retired fire truck to firefighters in Nicaragua.
The delivery was part of Operation Nicaragua, a program developed by a retired teacher in Kamloops that sends donated items to the Central American country, including used equipment and gear from fire departments across B.C. The equipment is used to outfit volunteer fire departments in Nicaragua that were gutted during a revolution 20 years ago.
Assistant fire Chief Erik Vogel spearheaded Burnaby’s involvement in the project, petitioning the fire chief and city council to approve the donation of a truck no longer in service. His request was approved in 2014, and in February, it reached its final destination – the City of Leon.
The fire truck isn’t the only thing the Burnaby Fire Department has donated to Operation Nicaragua. The department also sent 2,000 feet of hose and old turn out gear.
“It was great to find (the firefighters) wearing our old uniforms and turn out gear,” Vogel said in an email to the NOW.
