The fire station in the village of Belalcazar, Caldas is so poor it
does not even have a working truck. The only means of transport the
firemen have is a run down scooter — a red one at least.
The only quenching car the village owned broke down four years ago. Now in emergencies the firemen have to take the scooter equipped with a fire extinguisher and a shovel.
The fourteen members of the fire station hope that the phone never rings to announce an emergency. Every fire, no matter how small, is a challenge for the firemen since their equipment falls short.
The word poverty does not describe under what conditions the men have to work, online newspaper Terra.com reported. “Whether this fire station is the poorest in Colombia? I don’t know but it could be,” firefighter Arturo said.
In cases of big fires, the whole village builds a human chain to pass buckets of water to extinguish the fire.