When firefighters in the town of Consuelo in the Dominican Republic respond to a call for a fire, they attack it the old-fashioned way – with a bucket patrol and perhaps even the shoveling of dirt. Consuelo, the birthplace of baseball slugger Sammy Sosa, has a population of 60,000, but still has to resort to the archaic approach to fighting fires.
That was, until this week, when the North Hudson Regional Fire & Rescue, with the help of the Hispanic Firefighter and EMS Workers Society of New Jersey, donated a used and out-of-service fire pump truck to the town of Consuelo to help the cause in fighting fires there.
The truck was presented to the mayor of Consuelo, Juan Padilla, and the public safety director, Jose Taveras, during a ceremony at the NHRFR headquarters in North Bergen Tuesday.
Rafael Peralta, a Weehawken native and a five-year member of the NHRFR, helped to arrange the donation. Peralta, the vice-president of the Hispanic Firefighters Society, had arranged the donation of equipment, like masks, uniforms and harnesses, in the past. He asked if there was a way that the NHRFR could further help the people of this needy Dominican community.
“We have always been there to help these communities,” Peralta said. “It just started with people asking for donations for their hometowns. People from the Dominican Republic came to us and asked to help. We went there to realize that they truly need help in fighting fires. So we first went down there and helped with instruction, then gave them equipment, now this truck. It’s a pleasure to be able to help out.”
Padilla, who climbed aboard the rig and received the keys as part of the ceremony, was more than grateful to receive the fire truck.
“This fire truck will enable to give our people protection,” Padilla said through an interpreter. “We’re able to give protection that we were never able to give before. It’s a great honor and privilege to receive this truck. It will go to good use. It’s the best thing to happen to our town in a long, long time.”
According to NHRFR Co-Director Mike D’Orio, the 1983 truck will be shipped to the Dominican Republic sometime next month.
“This is the third year we’ve been able to donate something to the people of the Dominican Republic,” D’Orio said. “It’s an older rig, but it’s still in good condition. But it didn’t have the engine power to make it up and down our hills and it can’t be repaired to do so. It was in dire need of repair for our use, but it’s perfect to help a community in dire need.”
Added D’Orio, “We’ve had our firefighters from Hispanic backgrounds wanting to help those in need. That’s the main goal, to help others. It was an expendable truck for us, but it can be very helpful for them. If we tried to sell it, we would only get minimal return. This way, it’s going to be utilized and it will go to good use.”
D’Orio said that representatives from the NHRFR plan to visit the fire department of Consuelo within the next year to see the fire apparatus in action.
“They are very friendly and we’re more than willing to help,” D’Orio said.
Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner, who serves on the NHRFR Board of Directors, agreed.
“In a way, we’re fortunate enough to have a piece of equipment that we can donate,” Turner said. “Rafael Peralta came forward and asked if we could help. To see the truck go to use in a city with a desperate need of modern firefighting equipment is a blessing. This is a reminder that we should appreciate what we have and the level of services that we have.”
Jersey City Deputy Fire Director Jose Cruz, the president of the Hispanic Firefighters Society, applauded the move.
“We volunteer our time and efforts to help those who are less fortunate than us,” Cruz said. “We are constantly looking for vehicles to donate. This is the third time our organization has been able to find an apparatus and we’ll continue to do so.”