By Tanya Cronin

Kamloops firefighter returns from 23rd mission in Nicaragua

Feb 25, 2016 | 3:14 PM

KAMLOOPS — Unimaginable poverty. It’s often hard to believe how the people of Nicaragua survive, in what is the 2nd poorest country next to Haiti, in the Western Hemisphere. 

WATCH: Full story by Reporter Tanya Cronin
 

“They’re struggling, definitely struggling, but with the help of the community in Kamloops, they have really stepped up, we’re making a bit of a difference,” says David Sakaki, Kamloops Fire Rescue. 

The men, women and children of Nicaragua are in desperate need. But over the past several years, local firefighter David Sakaki has worked to change that, bringing everyday supplies to poverty stricken villages and communities. It’s a labour of love and a job he says is most rewarding. This latest trip, Sakaki’s 23rd operation in Nicaragua, and one that focused on helping the local fire departments , some of which have never had any firefighting equipment at all. 

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“They would actually run to a fire and throw buckets of water on the fire, it’s disheartening to know that there’s these dedicated firefighters down there, unable to do the work they love doing.” 

Sakaki and a team of fellow firefighters and volunteers from Kamloops and other areas of the country, spent 2 weeks in Nicaragua. They filled shipping containers full of donated items from Kamloops residents, and delivered what would be the most precious item of all, a firetruck.  

“The firefighters couldn’t be more happy, they were absolutely thrilled, as soon as we handed over the keys to the firetruck, they had a ribbon cutting ceremony and then everybody loaded on top of the fire truck, 30 of us, and drove us around town with lights and sirens.”

It was a display of a gift that was given by the Burnaby Fire Department, that will go a long way in Leon, a city of 100,000. A city that once had fire trucks, but after the revolution, were left with very little. Sakaki and his group also brought with them much needed medical supplies, including hospital beds.

“These 20 hospital beds have expired their service life in Canada, now they’re going to go on and serve thousands and thousands of people in the hospitals down there for the next 30 years.”

David Sakaki will embark on his next mission in just a few short days. He’ll return to Nepal nearly a year after a devestating earthquake. He’ll join a team of optometrists who will provide free eye examinations and free glasses for the people hardest hit. Another aid operation, that will change lives. 

“Just seeing these people that are trying to get by with very little, we have such an excess in this country and just trying to bridge the gap between the 2 different cultures, it’s pretty amazing to be part of it, I’m fortunate to be part of it,” says Sakaki.