Public safety

Firefighters lobby for better equipment

Panama City’s firefighters have more trucks in the shop than they do in service.

Many of the department’s vehicles are 30 years old or more, making parts hard to find.

MAYDÉE ROMERO/LA PRENSA

out of service: There are about 30 vehicles currently being repaired at the headquarters of Panama City’s fire department in Amador.967752

The Cuerpo de Bomberos de Panama (CBP) is in trouble, which means potential problems for everyone else.

The CBP, which oversees Panama City's 14 fire stations, is reporting that it has a serious shortage in functioning equipment. At times, firefighters struggle with the most basic of calls because they do not have the proper equipment to deal with them.

The CBP only has 11 pumpers that it can call into service, while the remainder of the fleet are in a constant state of being repaired. Because some of these trucks are more than 30 years old, it is getting increasingly difficult to find parts for them.

Often firefighters have to battle blazes using tank trucks which have a capacity of 700 to 1,000 gallons of water, a literal drop in the bucket when fighting a major fire. Unlike pumper trucks, which are designed to hook up to fire hydrants, these trucks can only provide a limited amount of water.

The situation has become so bad that the majority of the department’s fleet is now out of service, awaiting repairs at a shop at the agency’s Amador headquarters. The shop resembles a museum more than it does a modern display of fire fighting equipment, as many of the vehicles there are 30 years old or more.

In addition to more vehicles, the fire department is also asking the government for more funding to purchase hydraulic extraction devices known as "jaws of life." These machines are most commonly used to pry open vehicles that have been involved in serious accidents, thus freeing victims trapped inside.

Firefighters have asked the government to purchase 6 more of these machines so that one can be placed in every station in the city.

The government has been involved in a recent battle with the fire department over funding. Last year, an audit by the comptroller's office raised allegations that money allocated to the department had been improperly allocated.

Firefighters launched several protests last year to raise awareness about their lack of proper equipment and the alleged abuse of funds last year. Those protests and the results of the audit lead to administrative changes within the CBP.