SWAMPSCOTT — Old equipment no longer used by the Swampscott Fire Department is on its way to needy departments around the world.
The department has partnered with Global Gear Initiative, a North Carolina-based organization that collects used gear from around the country and sends it to fire departments in Central and South America, as well as other parts of the world.
“We’re pretty fortunate here that we’re well supplied by the town with modern, up-to-date firefighting equipment, and it’s replaced before it wears out, but there’s a lot of countries where they are not so lucky,” said Chief Graham Archer. “(GGI) has deep ties to Mexico and Central and South American countries where they are not so fortunate to get the latest and greatest gear, so a lot of gear that we’d see as dated — but not obsolete — they can use.”
On Sunday night, a GGI van traveling south from Maine stopped in Swampscott to pick up fire hoses, self-contained breathing apparatus units, and a full set of “jaws of life” hydraulic rescue tools used to extract crash victims from vehicles.
Archer said that the department was connected with GGI through New England FOOLS (Fraternal Order of Leatherheads Society), a firefighting organization that conducts training for departments in the area.
According to the GGI website, the organization’s mission is to “channel and facilitate equipment donations specialized in the field of firefighting, in this way helping firefighters who need such important aid so that they can answer the call for help, equipped in the best way possible.”
Founded in 2014, GGI has facilitated donations to Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia, Paraguay, Peru, Brazil, the Philippines, and Iraq. In addition, they fund scholarships and training for firefighters in other countries to learn the latest techniques.
Archer said that in addition to helping international fire departments, he was glad that the Swampscott firefighters were able to connect with others in their profession.
“The guys had a great time. They swapped stories and swapped baseball caps and got to know each other a little bit,” he said. “We’re happy to donate the gear.”
