Nicaragua 2022 - ambulances

Nicaragua is one of the least developed countries in Latin America and access to daily services is a challenge. Emergency services are often provided by volunteer departments which are chronically underfunded. Emergency vehicles are expensive and difficult, if not impossible, for these volunteers to procure.

When the County of Lambton, ON, was retiring two of their 2014 ambulances, a GlobalMedic volunteer encouraged their donation to GlobalFire. The County of Lambton maintained the ambulances until a free flight on a US military cargo plane was arranged through the Denton Humanitarian Assistance Program, a program run by USAID, the Department of State, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency and the Department of Defense.

GlobalFire towed the ambulances across the border to the US Air Force base in Niagara Falls, NY. From there, the vehicles were loaded by the 30th Aerial Port Squadron onto a massive C-5 cargo plan.

On May 26, 2022, the two ambulances arrived in Managua, Nicaragua and were donated by GlobalFire to The Benemerito Cuerpo de Bomberos de Esteli and The Benemerito Cuerpo de Bomberos de Managua. Both of these volunteer fire departments were in need of new ambulances to better serve their communities.