California Firefighters Participate in Mexican Bomberos Training Program

Add Feedback

Share |

2009 Bomberos Training

Sixty-five firefighters recently traveled from Mexico to California's Coachella Valley to train with firefighters from CAL Fire Riverside and other local agencies as part of the Bomberos Training Program.

For one week, the Mexican firefighters learned the latest in fire and rescue techniques with both hands-on training and classroom instruction.  Roberto Bernard, a firefighter from the Mexican town of Zihautanejo, explains, "We have learned many subjects, like about hazardous materials, extrication from vehicles and the use of ladders and hose." 

The Bomberos received the classroom portion of the training at the College of the Desert in Palm Desert.  The firefighters were also given the lessons on a CD, which they were able to take home.

Benefits of Bomberos Training Program

In addition to helping the Bomberos provide their citizens with better fire protection, the week of training is also beneficial to residents of the United States.  Chief William M. Soqui of the Cathedral City Fire Department explains, "Many of the rivers in Mexico flow to the United States.  If there is a spill there, environmentally it can impact us, so it's important to make sure they can deal with it."

History of Bomberos Training Program

The week of training was concluded with a special dinner banquet, featuring special guest Benny Benividos, a retired Imperial County Fire Chief and one of the founders of the Bomberos Training Program.  He and his colleagues began the program in 1965 upon attending the Mexican Fire Chiefs Association Convention in Mexicali, Baja California.  They saw that the Bomberos were in need of equipment and training, and Benividos says, "We started by taking sixty-five Bomberos to Turlock, California."  Ever since then each year groups of firefighters from Mexico are brought to the United States for training, and thousands have graduated over the past three decades.  The trips are free to the firefighters, and the program is funded by donations collected throughout the year.

Each year the site of the training rotates between a Northern California city and a Southern California city.  Next year's training will be in San Jose, California.

Related Video

CAL Fire Firefighters Travel to Mexico to Train Firefighters