Chava, past head of the Todos Santos volunteer fire department, stopped me on the road yesterday to tell me that changes are coming yet again. We are lucky to have a fire department at all as La Paz simply doesn’t lend much support to our local needs preferring to rush equipment from La Paz when we have an emergency. In the past La Paz has even confiscated equipment that was specifically donated to Todos Santos. Additionally, promises made by past La Paz politicians have not been kept leading to more than a little bad blood between our local “bomberos” and the honchos in La Paz.
The “bomberos” not only man and maintain our fire trucks but they also do the same for Todos Santos’ best equipped ambulance. Historically they are lacking money for maintenance, gasoline and salaries. Yes, it’s a volunteer department but many of the firemen actually work nearly full time at the station and need some sort of compensation to justify abandoning their other work for pay. La Paz has made and broken promises many times over the past years leading to my discussion with Chava.
Chava told me that next week a community meeting will be held. The firemen are forming a non-profit organization to run and support the department separate from La Paz. At the meeting, options will be discussed and board members elected. The “bomberos” will try to raise funds by once again selling house numbers to people who want to be easily located in case of fire. This system was used once in the past and seemed to work fairly well. I feel certain there will be other fund raisers similar to the “Noche Mexicana” dinner parties of the past.
The meeting will likely be Wednesday Dec 14 or Thursday Dec 15 at either the Centro Cultural or possibly the Ejido meeting hall. Likely it will be announced in the BWO.
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