Building partnerships: AMC, Reserve Airmen aid in gear donation to Nicaraguan firefighters

Published Sept. 7, 2011
By Senior Airman Meredith Thomas
916th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs

SÉBACO, NICARAGUA -- It takes a special kind of courage to brave life and limb and rush into a burning building or battle a raging inferno. But it's another story entirely when the individual doing the rushing is a volunteer firefighter who is ill-equipped for duty with outdated protective clothing and equipment.

Such is the case for a team of men here who dedicate their time to the Sébaco Volunteer Fire Department. They spend their spare hours training to protect their fellow citizens yet they are "severely under resourced and over taxed," according to Tech. Sgt. Nicholas Sebastiani, a bioenvironmental engineer with the 916th Aerospace Medicine Squadron of Seymour-Johnson Air Force Base, N.C. Sebastiani is in charge of public health and patient flow during his unit's Medical Readiness Training Exercise, or MEDRETE, in Nicaragua.

Sebastiani, who is also trained as a firefighter with his civilian employer GlaxoSmithKline in North Carolina, was alerted to the needs of the local station by Sébaco's mayor, Luis Martinez, during a site survey a two months prior to the MEDRETE.

Fast forward to August and Sebastiani presented nearly 10 full suits of protective fire-fighting gear, donated by the GlaxoSmithKline fire department, to a small group of firemen in Nicaragua.

"We had a lot of extra stuff lying around because we received some new equipment," Sebastiani said. "Instead of just giving it away to another department in the United States we decided it could be better utilized here, where it's really needed."

Sebastiani took time away from a day of public health briefings and patient assistance to conduct a small training session for the Nicaraguan firefighters and demonstrate the proper wear of the fire-retardant pants and jacket, boots, gloves and helmet. His presentation concluded with hugs, salutes and broad smiles shared between brothers in the firefighting profession.

"It was interesting to meet those guys," he said. "I was telling them that, internationally, the fire service is a brotherhood, much like the military or the police force. You could tell they were enthusiastic about being firefighters."

A few days later, the local firemen invited Sebastiani to tour their station and meet with about 30 members of the department.

While there, Sebastiani learned the men were mourning the recent death of their captain who was killed in a vehicle accident on the way back from training in Managua. Several other firefighters were also injured in the collision, suffering concussions, broken bones and cracked ribs.

"These guys are really in bad shape," he said. "They've lost their captain and they have a lot of training but hardly any equipment and only a 1,000 gallon truck. They were really appreciative of the stuff we brought to donate."

Sebastiani said he feels good about helping his Nicaraguan comrades and was careful to leave the door open for further interactions and exchanges down the road.

"We've exchanged information and plan to keep in contact via email. I'd like to sustain a relationship even after we're gone, that way, we can send them extra equipment in the future if possible."