Fire Truck Donation Will Save Lives
A retired City of Racine fire truck is on the verge of making a huge difference for the people of Punta Gorda, Belize. The truck, along with pallets of supplies and gear, is set to ship to Belize soon. All thanks to a joint effort between Racine Rotary, the Racine Fire Department, the City of Racine, and the Mayor’s office.
The Racine Founders Rotary Club might best be known for their sponsorship of the popular “Post Prom” event held annually for area high school prom-goers, or for sponsoring a variety of scholarships and other charitable projects in the Racine area. Rotary International, which might be a lesser known aspect of the club, oversees humanitarian efforts in other countries.
“They (Rotary) just do some great things for our community, great things for people in general,” said Larry Vail, a 20 year member of Racine Rotary, and President of Jim’s Garage Door Service. “And I love the aspect of the international part of it; that’s been really intriguing to me.”
The club is in its fourth year of a ten-year commitment to the city of Punta Gorda and surrounding villages, providing assistance to the local medical community, the library, the schools, and the fire department.
How It All Began
The relationship between the cities came about when Racine Rotary member Steen Sanderhoff mentioned he knew a Racine doctor who was retiring from his job to work in Belize. Through the doctor, Racine Rotary got connected to a Rotary group in Belize.
Belize is an English-speaking country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. Punta Gorda is a city in the southernmost district of Belize.
The first Rotary trip to Belize in 2022 was exploratory in nature. Fifteen Racine Rotary members set out to evaluate the needs of the Punta Gorda area and discern how they could help. They looked at the needs of the hospital, the clinic, the fire department, the library, and the literacy needs of the school.
“Those are the areas we currently are working to try to help the best we can,” said Vail.
Each year since, different groups of rotary members have taken the trip from Racine. Typically, they split up to work in each of the different areas. Vail has been working with the fire department since his first trip to Belize in 2023. His third such trip is coming up soon, February 8-15, when he’ll travel there with 14 other Racine Rotary members.
It was during one of the visits to the Punta Gorda fire department when Vail said he learned that some firefighters were without turnout gear. And there was just one old fire truck serving the entire city and surrounding villages. Back in Racine, he and other rotary members began talking to area fire departments, asking for old turnout gear that was no longer needed.
That question led to eight pallets of donations of turnout gear and other supplies from 12 different departments in southeast Wisconsin and northern Illinois. Vail was thrilled with all the donations but said he never expected anyone to donate a truck.
“Racine Fire Chief (Steve) Hansen was just great in making all of this work. And of course, the mayor (Cory Mason), because none of this would have happened without approval from the mayor,” Vail said.
Hansen explained that because RFD had just received two new pumpers, the department was in the position to let go of a fire engine and gift it to the department in Belize.
“We saw the opportunity to really benefit a country that desperately needed a new fire engine, regardless of age,” Hansen said.
After about a year of discussions, Hansen said the city council, based on his recommendation, donated the surplus fire engine to Rotary for donation to Belize.
“If the fire truck was not donated, it would have cost the fire department an estimated $1,000-$1,500 to have it scrapped out even though it was still functional,” he added. “There was no other interest for the fire engine at the time. While old for us, it is heartwarming to know the vehicle will get additional life in a community that really needed upgraded capabilities from what they had.”
In addition to the fire engine, Hansen said the department also donated a surplus of self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), which, according to OSHA, had exceeded its life expectancy of 15+ years.
“At the time, we had just received new SCBA equipment, which made that donation practical as well,” Hansen said.
That donation is what prompted the need for a fill tank and air compressor, according to Vail. With a price tag of $40,000, they applied for and received a grant from Rotary International to pay for that equipment.
Vail said Punta Gorda Fire Department members were very happy with the news of the truck.
“They’ve seen pictures of the truck; they’re excited about getting it,” Vail said.
From Racine to Belize
So, just how does a fire truck get shipped to another country?
Vail said it’s possible because of the Denton Program, which, according to their website, is a “Department of Defense (DOD) transportation program that moves humanitarian cargo, donated by U.S. based Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) to developing nations to ease human suffering. The approved cargo is transported by DOD land, air or sea assets on a space-available basis.”
Vail said the truck has been approved for shipment, and they are just waiting for a time slot to open up. They are hoping to ship the donations of supplies, the fill station, and the air compressor the same way; Racine Rotary is still waiting for the final approval on those items.
Going Beyond Donations
Racine Rotary’s contributions have also included valuable training in CPR and first aid in Belize. Vail explained how the Punta Gorda Fire Department serves villages that are as much as a two-hour drive on dirt roads.
He said they have been working with the Punta Gorda fire department and the medical community to set up a public health worker in each of the villages. Racine Rotary has donated AEDs to the larger villages, training the public health workers in Belize on its use. Then, about 30 people from each village will attend a training session on CPR, and all will receive a first aid kit.
“The village health workers have the chance of keeping somebody alive until the fire department gets there,” Vail said. “Each trip, our goal is to train about 100 people in CPR.”
So far, they have completed four trainings of 30 people for each of the last two years, led by CPR trainers from Gateway Technical College.
“They’re training even the firefighters and the hospital workers on a more advanced level of CPR,” Vail said.
Additionally, Vail said Racine Rotary member and Racine firefighter Dan Widmar, who has been to Punta Gorda, Belize, the last two years to provide his expertise as a firefighter, will head to Punta Gorda once the truck and all of the supplies have reached the city, to provide training on the equipment and to answer questions about the truck.
In Praise of Racine Rotary
Vail said anyone can join the Racine Rotary Club, which currently has about 100 members. Club meetings are Friday mornings at 7 a.m. at Racine Country Club.
Chief Hansen said service to the community and the world is the hallmark of Racine Rotary.
“I was and remain excited at this group of individuals who take a broad view in helping folks who are much less fortunate than us, protect their communities. I cannot say enough good things about Racine Rotary and would encourage members of our community to join and assist this exceptionally civic-minded organization,” Hansen said.
Vail said he gets tremendous satisfaction from taking service trips.
“You go to help others, and you get way more out of it than you ever put into it.”
Racine’s generosity shines in Belize: Fire truck donation will save lives
Racine County Eye
By Julie Rossman
February 3rd, 2025
