El Paso Firefighter To Send Equipment To Honduras

Retired firefighter Don Wiklund has spent the last four years of his retirement traveling and scuba diving off the coasts of Central America. Each time he travels, he visits his firefighting brothers at the local stations.

“That brotherhood exists, and it goes beyond borders,” Wiklund told ABC-7.

That brotherhood is what is inspiring the 25-year veteran of the El Paso Fire Department to help bring up to par the fire department of the Honduran city of Trujillo.

“Some of them were nothing more than a glorified bucket brigade. They just didn’t have the equipment to be protected or to protect the citizens where they lived,” said Wiklund, pointing out that the Trujillo, Honduras, fire department doesn’t have a fire hydrant system, meaning firefighters have to suction water out of a river to transport it to the fire site.

“They didn’t have any equipment,” Wiklund continued. “I’d see firefighters responding to fires wearing street clothes. Or wearing rubber galoshes for fire boots. They just didn’t have proper equipment.”

So Wiklund has spent months asking for equipment donations from El Paso fire stations and stations from surrounding areas. He said he’s received 80 coats and pants, 75 boots, 40 helmets, 20 breathing apparatus, a defibrillator and a third of a mile of hose.

Wiklund explained that the equipment no longer fits national codes for firefighting gear, but is still functional and will work for those who have little equipment to begin with.

What the retired firefighter needs now is the money to send it overseas. It needs to head first to Miami, where the two tons of equipment will be loaded onto a boat and shipped to Honduras. The total cost is $5,000. Wiklund says he just needs $2,000 more.

If you’re interested in helping, call Wiklund at (915) 449-1200.