NFPA Journal - January/February 2018 - 50

International by Donald P. Bliss

THE NFPA VIEW ON
GLOBAL FIRE AND LIFE
SAFETY ISSUES

Peruvian Connection
THE COUNTRY'S ALL-VOLUNTEER FIRE SERVICE TURNS TO NFPA TO HELP
IMPROVE ITS RESPONSE TO A DAUNTING ARRAY OF HAZARDS

n a recent visit to Peru,
to improve government services and the
I had the opportunity to
quality of life leading up to the country's
visit with and learn about
200th anniversary of its independence,
the challenges facing the
which it will observe in 2021. To achieve
nation's fire service, one of
this, Peru's leaders have asked for NFPA's
the few in the world with an all-volunhelp in several ways.
teer model. This even includes the capitol,
Peru is now working to establish a
Lima, a city of 8.9 million people, which
system of training and professional qualis entirely protected by highly dedicated
ifications based upon NFPA standards,
volunteer firefighters.
such as NFPA 1720, Organization and
Lima, like most modern world cities,
Deployment of Fire Suppression Operis a complex mixture of historic buildations, Emergency Medical Operations
ings, modern high-rises, and densely
and Special Operations to the Public by
populated residential districts, all interVolunteer Fire Departments. Over the
Peruvian volunteer
connected by a network of narrow streets
next year, NFPA will work with the Perufire departments
and congested highways. Coastal Peru,
vian fire service leadership to identify the
share many of the
including Lima, is highly vulnerable to
specific activities that NFPA can support
same difficulties
tsunamis and earthquakes due to its locawith standards, training, and technical
as those faced by
tion along the Pacific's "ring of fire." This
expertise. NFPA is eager to help, and from
their counterparts
all means that Lima's volunteer firefighteverything I saw on my visit, the Peruvian
in the U.S.
ers must be prepared to handle numerous
firefighters are committed as well.
high-probability, high-impact events such
While the language and customs may
as building fires, motor vehicle crashes,
differ, I've found in my travels that there
medical emergencies, hazardous materiare universal similarities throughout the
als incidents, earthquakes, tsunamis, and
world's fire service organizations. I felt
wildfires. The volume of incidents helps to keep the interest and right at home when I visited Lima Volunteer Fire Station No. 4,
commitment of members at a high level, but it also no doubt with its hospitality and firehouse camaraderie. The 125 members
takes a toll on families and employers.
staff the station around the clock, and I was impressed with the
The Peruvian volunteer departments face many of the same energy they put into checking and cleaning each piece of equipdifficulties that were identified by their U.S. counterparts in ment. It was obvious that they aspire to model themselves after
NFPA's "Fourth Needs Assessment of the U.S. Fire Service." the United States fire service-in pursuit of that goal, they now
Those include acquiring up-to-date personal protective equip- purchase apparatus designed in accordance with NFPA 1901,
ment and self-contained breathing apparatus, and providing Automotive Fire Apparatus, and seek donations of personal
formal training and certification on a wide range of skills. Many protective equipment from the U.S. Even their rescue truck logo
parts of Peru also struggle with recruiting and retaining volun- was modeled after the logo of FDNY Rescue 4.
teers, as well as keeping them trained and equipped. I was told
Whether career or volunteer, military or municipal, wealthy or
it can be difficult to ensure that fully qualified personnel are poor, I have yet to find a firefighter who does not fully embrace the
available to respond to every emergency, especially considering role of preparing for and responding to emergencies of all kinds,
the wide variety of hazards present in Peru.
natural and man-made. Peru's fire service is as dedicated as any,
With these challenges in mind, the government has and NFPA is looking forward to helping it become even better.
announced an effort to upgrade the capabilities of the nation's
fire services. This step is part of a larger national initiative Donald P. Bliss is vice president of field operations for NFPA.

50 | NFPA JOURNAL * J A N U A R Y / F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 8

MICHAEL HOEWELER

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - January/February 2018