Peru is one of the countries most exposed to natural disasters. Its 30 million inhabitants have a single organization to deal with emergency situations brought about by accidents and catastrophes: the Peruvian Firefighter Corps, whose members are all volunteers. This organization, founded in 1860, now counts some 10,000 voluntary firefighters. The quality of their interventions depends on the training they receive.

Interview

Interview with the Chairman of the Pompiers sans Frontières association, Serge Montesinos, the secretary general of the Petzl Foundation, Jean-Jacques Eleouet, and the Director of the Peruvian subsidiary of Pompiers sans Frontières, Antonio Jiménez Saldaña.

What is the mission of Pompiers sans Frontières?
Serge Montesinos: Pompiers sans Frontières is an international charity that was founded in 1991. It is civil security approved. Its main role is to help reduce the impact of catastrophes on the world’s most vulnerable populations. We mainly operate in developing countries, particularly in South America.

What is the specific relationship between Pompiers sans Frontières and Peru?
Serge Montesinos: Pompiers sans Frontières was founded on the basis of an encounter in Peru, the sudden awareness of the huge lack of civil protection structures in Peru and the realities of working in the field and a desire to change things. Its work here began in 1992.
The Peruvian Firefighter Corps soon contacted Pompiers Sans Frontières, which has the necessary rescue techniques, to help them to improve their capacity to respond to emergency situations and catastrophes.

Where did the partnership with the Petzl Foundation come from?
Jean-Jacques Eleouet: The Petzl Foundation, like the Bilbao Declaration, has worked since its creation to improve safety in the working world. We want to help the countries that have been left by the wayside in terms of standards and training. For example, we are working on the implementation of training plans and tools in collaboration with local organizations.
Serge Montesinos: Safety training and prevention are major fields of intervention for Pompiers Sans Frontières. It seemed logical to join forces with the Petzl Foundation for this project in Peru.

What does this project do for Peruvian firefighters?
Antonio Jiménez Saldaña: This project provides a sustainable training foundation that enables the Firefighter Corps to gradually integrate these techniques and share them with the rest of Peru’s 10,000 firefighters. The integration of this project into the General Instruction Division of the Firefighter Corps reflects a real transfer of know-how, conform to our shared values and cooperation ideals.

What are its main elements?
Serge Montesinos: There are three clearly identified elements to this project. The first is the implementation of a training plan to teach Peruvian instructors to operate in hazardous urban  environments throughout the country.
Jean-Jacques Eleouet: We have also created a technical manual, covering all our technical skills. This training manual has been designed to meet the specific needs of the Peruvian population. It is already widely acknowledged as a technical reference book.
Serge Montesinos: Our project will now be continued by the design and creation of a training center, developed in collaboration with the Petzl Foundation. This exercise tower will help us to formalize the techniques suitable to the conditions in which Peruvian firefighters have to work, which are often dangerous.

What are the main results so far?
Antonio Jiménez Saldaña: Thanks to the complementarity of the organizations involved, the training plan is already underway in a number of Peruvian towns, including Lima.
- 17 instructors from the DIGECIN (the Peruvian Firefighter Corps training division) have taken a training course that, after certification, will enable the training program to be guaranteed as of 2010.
- 144 firefighters have also been trained to become monitors; 78 (54%) of them are from the provinces.
- Furthermore, 42 people have already been trained to service and inspect the equipment using Petzl’s EASY INSPECT software, which ensures the safe use of equipment. 

What did you make of these first sessions?
 Antonio Jiménez Saldaña: The experience of Pompiers sans Frontières enabled us to initiate this training course having integrated the social, economic and cultural realities of the country and the Firefighter Corps. This enabled us to achieve our targets in spite of the various problems frequently encountered during technical cooperation transfers. These first sessions were  rich with the types of discussions that are the foundation of beneficiary/partner relations.
 

Pictures: Pompiers Sans Frontières

More info : pompiers-sans-frontieres.org
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