Argentina Team Update #4
Day Three
Great day of training! We all had breakfast together again and Tom Cooney provided us a quick Devotion, reminding us that our focus should always be for the glory of God. I really appreciate the time and effort he spends on so much more than interpreting Spanish for us. We arrived to the fire station early to get things set up, which was great because the Recruits were already there, and we ended up jumping right to introductions. I was able to give my class on fire scene size up. At the end of the class, we split up into two groups and walked the streets for about an hour, stopping at different buildings and practicing what to look for and expect based on building construction type and use. After a quick break, Chris gave a class on rescue drags and how to use nylon webbing to create a couple different rescue harnesses. There were lots of hands-on activities and the Recruits seemed to be having a great time. Most of them are very new and have been on less than 5 fires.
While the rest of us were training, Mike Rider went with some locals to buy lumber and steel to construct a forcible entry door prop. This is typically a metal door in a metal frame designed to be forced open many times for practice. At home in Oregon, these doors generally cost about 8-10 thousand dollars. Here in Argentina, Mike was able to find supplies and work with another fire fighter to build and weld the frame. Another man, Segundo, came with Tom Cooney and is a carpenter. He is also helping construct this training door prop. In total, Mike is going to be able to construct and provide this important piece of training equipment for about $550! One of the fire fighters at the station mentioned that they had been wanting a forcible entry door prop for years but had not been able to afford the materials. This is one of those situations where God has placed the right people in the right place to bless others.
AND THEN, Ryan found the issue with the fire truck and why it wasn’t working! The truck has had a bad sensor for years and no one was able to track it down until Ryan found it today. What a cause for celebration! Now, he is working to find a way to access it, remove it, and clean or replace it. It’s not fixed yet, but we have a more clear direction.
It’s been a long and productive day. Thank you, Church, for sending us here to minister to our brothers and sisters. Thank you for supporting us and equipping us with the materials and resources to make a meaningful connection with the First Responders of Mar del Plata. We are actively looking for ways to demonstrate Gods love and share how God has impacted our lives.
