The Sexta Compañía Bomba Cristóforo Colombo, the oldest institution of Italian origin in the Americas, is a volunteer fire company serving the city of Valparaíso. Its volunteers, mostly aged between 18 and 50, are the ones who respond directly to the fires and fire-related emergencies the city needs them for.
Firefighting brings real, well-documented risks to respiratory health, including a higher likelihood of respiratory illness and cancer from repeated smoke exposure. Proper self-contained breathing apparatus is the equipment that stands between volunteers and that risk, and providing it to as many firefighters as possible is a genuine safety priority, not an optional upgrade.
The project
The project protects the health of the Sexta Compañía's volunteer firefighters through proper self-contained breathing apparatus, aiming to reach as many of them as possible. Built on prevention and training, the project equips volunteers with the gear they need to do dangerous work more safely.
Who the project is for
The project's direct beneficiaries are the volunteer firefighters of the Sexta Compañía who respond to fires and fire-related emergencies.
Its impact reaches further, to around 30 firefighters indirectly.
Project name: PROTECCION RESPIRATORIA A BOMBEROS
Proposing organisation: CORPORACION AMIGOS DE LA SESTA COMPAGNIA CRISTOFORO COLOMBO
Area of intervention: Health & Welfare
Country: Chile