Radio Cadena Agramonte emisiora de Camagüey
Havana, Nov. 13. - Cuba today remembers the date when the inhabitants of Santa Clara (center) organized, on this day in 1696, the first voluntary firefighting service, a precursor to the current Fire Department of the Caribbean nation.
However, historical notes reveal that it was in 1832 when the Fire Department Foundation was established in that town, entities that gradually spread to the rest of the country. Today, the members of that body stand out for their heroism and dedication to fire prevention and extinguishing tasks, in addition to rescue and salvage missions during emergency situations or natural disasters.
A transcendental moment of that profession was recorded here, on May 17, 1890, in the face of a fire in the Isasi hardware store, considered the greatest catastrophe of the time, which caused the death of 17 firefighters from the Commerce, eight municipal and one from the Navy, among other victims.
The bravery of its men and women was highlighted again on August 5, 2022, in the confrontation and control of the fire caused by an electric discharge at the supertanker base in Matanzas (west), where 16 people lost their lives, most of them firefighters.
Likewise, their performance has been recognized by the population of the island in the face of recurring weather events, in which they save human lives at the risk of their own. (Text and photo: PL)
