The weather is starting off great this morning. Sun is out and we are excited to begin. After getting our Coffee and Panaderia we get to the central station to meet our friends from Bomberos of San Diego, Marcello Decasas, Arlo Nieto, Omar Saucedo and Alex Kane.

We have been talking with Marcello for over a year since contacting us from our website. Marcello gathered his fellow firefighters and came down to help us with the training of the day. Extrication is the topic and we have arranged a series of stations/pits that highlight different skills, and equipment we brought. 1. Stabilization involves using the cribbing, step chocks, hi lift jacks and other resources to stabilize vehicles. 2. Heavy Lift involves lifting heavy objects such as cars with the Airbag system we brought with us. 3. Hydraulics involves using their amkus/hurst tool to provide extrication to vehicles.  4. Hand Tools involves using tools that do not involve hydraulics to gain access to the patient, a good skill to have in the event of equipment failure.

To really help with the day we broke up firefighters so they were mixed. Tijuana guys and gals, Tecate, Cruz Roja were all split up and worked, trained with, and helped each other, some for the first time.

Training sessions lasted 45-60 minutes. With breaks and socializing we lasted till 3pm and were able to cut and work with 5 vehicles provided by a local wrecker.After the completion of the training we presented both Tecate and Tijuana bomberos with the New hi lift jacks and sawzalls we brought and trained with. (4 sets- 3 for Tecate and one for Tijuana) Step chocks (10 sets of 2) were distributed as well.

I had a really good blog, already written and spell checked to transfer on this blog but I forgot it at the room. Wednesday was a good day, in the am Scott led a New Vehicle PPT presentation and then we went out to the tarmack and showed the firefighters the Airbag system we brought donated by Poulsbo Fire of Washington.  Pics below are for Amy

After lunch sent Mark and Scott to the high angle off site location to train with rope systems. We were able to arrange to have the private volunteer rescue group and the Tecate and Tijuana bomberos train using combined equipment. We see this as a great step in getting these groups to accept the help of each other. This was a great class, they started around 2:30 and finished up around 8, around the time that Tyson and I were coming back from  the mva.

 

 

While Mark and Scott were working with the groups on the rope rescue training. Tyson had already been on a fire when we were at the central station working on the next day and Tyson was responding with the engine. A head on mva came in and off went the engine. I wanted to respond with the chief but didn’t have any gear. I quickly looked through the equipment we brought and picked out an ensamble. Off we went and arrived to find Tyson and crew working on a 3 patient head on mva. One patient was trapped and they were setting up for extrication. When I arrived I was assigned to do the extrication and worked to remove the patient. After a few minutes we had her clear and she was removed and off with the Cruz Roja (Red Cross). Its great to note that both agencies seem to be working well together to the benefit of the patients.

 

 

After break Tyson began with hazmat gross decon and erg review. The Tijuana firefighter attending were knowledgable in topic since they were the primary Hazmat team in the region. It was great to see the interaction and the exchange of information that occured. If one thing came out of that class it was that there was lots that can be done before they arrive and they recognized that they could do better in training and planned on same.

 After class we adjourned for the day and moved to lunch with the Chief and Richard Smith. Richard had brought his wife Tony who was very supportive of his involvement. We ate, talked about the training today and planned for the next two. Richard began making plans for his next class after we leave and even contemplated inviting Tecate up for training in Santee.

After the meal we were off and here I am writing this blog. We are heading back to the hotel after the guys get their coffee. tomorrow is rope rescue, elec vehicle training and airbag training. Stay tuned

 

 

No I didn´t forget Day three. We arrived in Tecate around 2000 and after quick intros, went to our hotels and to sleep after a strategy session. Our trip was un eventfull unless you consider the flat, brown, dusty road between Sacramento and the LA  Basin. Traffic was so light it was like the lanes were parted just for us.

 Day four begins with Carlo a young firefighter who speaks exceptional English picking us up at our hotel and off we went to Breakfast. From the outside it looks like it fits in the narrow street-alley that it appears on . Inside it opens into a fancy type restaurant fitting down town Seattle. Breakfast was to good and we headed to the station to off load the trailer and make plans for this afternoons training.

We have always worked out of the main station and this trip we were pleasantly suprised to see that an off site location was gotten for classroom training. Since we needed other offsite training sites due to the nature of the training we figure this site came with the deal. We settled in and provided some great training to over 40 folks from Tijuana, Tecate, Rescue Condor, Civil Protection, and the Tecate Brewery fd.

Captain Richard Smith of Santee Fire led off with an overview of ICS and how that works in any system. When it came to the topic of firefighter safety it was like openning a faucet wide. The questions and interest were measurable. Rich indicated that he would be glad to come back and work on presenting training on that topic. This is Richards first training mission with Us as we have been working on him for three years to get to this point. More to follow

 

 

Arriving late Saturday after 22 hours on the road we had a great nite sleep at the Patty and Steve Marks Casa.

After a great breakfast we unhooked the trailer and emptied the truck and struck out to Mariposa county where Chief Phil Whitman was waiting for us with a warehouse of equipment no longer needed by his firefighting training school. We loaded up the truck and had a great lunch at a place called the Happy Burger. One of those great diners you hear about that serve anything and always great.

 

Following Lunch we headed to Turlock, Ca where we hooked up with the crew from station 33 and saw the 1990 Pierce Telesquirt being Donated to Mexico. Chief Roger Dooley of Turlock wrote to us and wanted to donate their third engine through Firefighters Crossing Borders.org. We loaded up the engine with the equipment picked up from Mariposa leaving little space. 2000 plus feet of hose, 40 sets of turnouts, 40 helmets and other equipment.

The engine will be shipped to the City of Culiacan in the Mexican state of sinaloa. A city of over 1 million they are most needing this type of apparatus of the cities we have contacted.  The engine will be shipped off as soon as we can arrange the transfer and the particulars. Thanks to Chief Dooley and the City of Turlock FD.

 

Stay safe and go home at the end of the shift.

 

 

 

 

After leaving around 0130 after some reloading and showers we hit the road. Snow flurries in Washington and then oregon who would have thunk. Travel want smoothly except for the trailer which we knew we would have to work with . Around sunday we found out that our original trailer was no longer available and we had to scramble for another. Along come Seattle Firefighter based ERTI (Emergency Response Training Institute) to the resue with a trailer. We loaded Friday and found out that there were some brake troubles then as well. We discussed it and decided we would try to make it the way it was. It was not to be. We are here in Grants Pass OR in the Blue Stone Cafe and Bakery, Tyson, Scott and myself facing off with battling laptops spending the next 5 hours going over our lesson plans and blogging waiting for the trailer brakes to be rebuilt.

We could not make it any farther and found a Les Schwab here to work on the trailer. When we called ERTI to tell them they, without question , agreed to cover the costs of the rebuild. Thanks to Mark we were able to get this far and will be smooth sailing from here. We hope to roll in to Sacramento tonite and then on to Mariposa to pick up a donation destined for Culiacan by way of Turlock who is donating a telesquirt engine to them. We will load it up before its shipped and visit with friends in both cities. Then on to Mexico. Check with us as our mission unfolds.