HEROES

Here are some pictures from the First Responder course given by retired Irvine City Fire Captain and Paramedic, Dan Kirkpatrick. Twenty-six volunteer firefighters attended the four day course in Panajachel, Solola just across the lake from the medical clinics in San Pedro. Everyone participated enthusiastically asking lots of questions about the latest recommended techniques for choking and CPR patients. It was a "normal" station with several emergency calls coming in during the four-day course requiring some to leave using the firepole just to our right in this picture. Many stories were told of people having performed CPR with the results being less than hoped for. The reality of the working conditions under which these men and women perform their duties to serve the people of their community is amazing. They truly are everyday heroes and I was in awe of their courage in hearing their stories. Perhaps the most exciting aspect of the course was the opportunity we were given to share with them in Whom we should trust with our lives. These men and women face the reality of death everyday and by putting their lives in harms way for the benefit of others, it was a very natural transition to talk to them about God. On the second day of the course, word had traveled two hours north to the town of Totonicapan and three men from the volunteer station there came to participate. By the end the week, they returned with an official letter of invitation for Dan to return to their town in the future. We're already planning the next trip!