Mexican, Argentinean firefighters visit Valley during convention

EDINBURG — It was something Juan Sauceda had never experienced in six years as a firefighter - a controlled training environment.

"I'm not just impressed, I'm dumbfounded," Sauceda said as he gazed at a soot-stained cinderblock structure in the city's fire training facility. "Everything here is much more advanced."

The Ciudad Victoria, Tamps., emergency responder is in town for the week during the State Firemen's and Fire Marshals' Training Conference and Convention, along with dozens of other firefighters from Reynosa, Ciudad Victoria, Tampico, Buenos Aires and Samora, Mch.

For the first time, convention coordinators are hosting training sessions for firefighters from outside the United States to share their techniques and allow the civil servants to interact with their American counterparts.

"We just wanted to try something different," said Edinburg Deputy Fire Chief Juan Angel Gloria. "We hoped they would come out here and have fun with us."

On Friday, the men visited the Edinburg facility - located south of the intersection of Doolittle Road and Schunior Street - to conduct confined-space rescue and live-fire training exercises with fire agencies from Hidalgo County.

The men joked with one another as they snapped photos of their visit to the Texas site with cell phone cameras, occasionally walking up to the bright-red fire truck to admire its features.

"The economic situation is different in Mexico than it is in the United States," said Sergio Manuel Gamez, 35, of Samora. "We just have to adapt our techniques according to what we have."

Sweat streamed down the men's faces Friday afternoon as the heat index reached the high 100s.

They climbed into their thick, heavy firefighter's uniforms and took turns tackling the controlled blaze inside the building in groups of five.

Gloria hauled bales of hay into the house, set it on fire and called the men inside.

The firefighters formed a line at the door, and each held onto the yellow hose as they walked on their knees into the burning room.

Seconds later, dark plumes of smoke puffed from the windows and the men walked outside to let the structure ventilate.

Afterward, they removed their gear and crawled into the department's portable cooling tent as they guzzled bottles of water.

"We don't have air conditioning in Reynosa like they do here," said Eduardo Chavez, 38, as he rested barefoot inside the tent. "But every department always needs something."

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Ana Ley covers law enforcement and general assignments for The Monitor. She can be reached at (956) 683-4428.