The Japan Volunteer Fire Department has donated 50 firetrucks and other vehicles, such as fire engines and ambulances, to Paraguay. These will be allocated to Paraguayan volunteer fire departments. The President of the Republic of Paraguay, Santiago Peña, confirmed the donation of these vehicles from the Fire Brigade Volunteers of Japan to Paraguay’s.
In this regard, the Head of State expressed his deep gratitude for the valuable cooperation, which now totals 200 firetrucks donated to Paraguayan volunteer units. “Thank you, Japan, for this solidary gesture that saves lives and enhances our response capacity,” Peña responded via his social media channels.
The firetrucks will be strategically distributed across various departments in the country, according to risk levels and operational demand. They will be used for firefighting, rescue, evacuation, transporting affected persons, and pre-hospital care in vulnerable and hard-to-reach areas.
Firetrucks and other vehicles donations
Most often, equipment and trucks are donated by governments from North America and Europe or by private organisations or foundations. Firetrucks and other vehicles given by foreign entities are between 15 and 20 years old. Depending on the country, foreign entities can give firetrucks and other vehicles up to three times a year.
Paraguayan volunteer firefighters
In Asunción and across Paraguay, all firefighters apart from the ones at the airport are volunteers. It is not a full-time paid profession as it is in most North American and European countries. For many years the Paraguayan firefighters, known as “Bomberos”, have depended on donations from individuals and businesses. Either financially, or vehicles such as firetrucks. When moving around town, you can still see them in their uniforms on hot days, asking passersby for donations.
Paraguay has various firefighting organisations distinguished by the colours of their uniforms. The most common one is yellow, or “original” organisation, which has more personnel and vehicles. Blue is the second largest. There are also others in red, green, and black, which are not based in Asunción, but active in other cities around the country. The green and black units can also be found in cities such as Ciudad del Este.
To learn more about the situation of volunteer firefighters in Paraguay, we invite you to read this article, previously published on our platform. It also provides the phone numbers of each fire station. You can follow the Bomberos on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
