914th efforts help save life in Dominican Republic Published Dec. 18, 2013 By Peter Borys 914th Airlift WIng Public Affairs NIAGARA FALLS AIR RESERVE STATION N.Y. -- Last spring a story was published about members of Niagara's 30th Aerial Port Squadron and 914th Airlift Wing who supported a Denton Humanitarian shipment of 20,000 pounds of fire fighting equipment and an ambulance from Rochester N.Y. The equipment and supplies were donated by the Puerto Plata Rochester Sister Cities Committee (PPRSCC) and flown to Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic via a March Air Reserve Base C-17 aircraft. Little did anyone expect that shortly after the ambulance arrived with equipment and put into service in Puerto Plata that it would be used to help save the life of that city's mayor. Back in June of this year the entire shipment was flown into the commercial airport serving Puerto Plata and was met by a delegation including Mayor Walter Musa, the Fire Chief, Colonel Pedro Martinez, and the Chairperson of the PPRSCC, Relton Roland. The shipment was released from Dominican Customs within two weeks after arriving in the country and taken to the fire hall. The ambulance (the only public ambulance in the city of approx. 400,000 residents) was put into service almost immediately. The 20,000 pounds of supplies and materials were sorted and stored for future distribution. After much planning and communication, Chief Martinez convened a meeting of local dignitaries and fire fighters this fall. He was able to outfit his firefighters (bomberos), outfit a new fire group that will deal with the Port of Puerto Plata as it prepares for cruise ships scheduled to begin landing there next year, and to distribute goods to 23 other fire halls in nine different municipalities. In attendance at this convocation were Mayor Musa of Puerto Plata, the Governor of the province, a national senator, the head of tourism for Dominican Republic and many business people as well as representatives of the fire districts receiving materials and supplies from the shipment. The distribution meeting in Puerto Plata did not occur until this fall partly because Mayor Musa was unavailable. About two weeks after the ambulance was put into service, Mayor Musa was involved in a serious one car accident. The ambulance arrived at the scene and, using the equipment that came with the ambulance (i.e. a back board and a neck brace) and using the training the firefighters had received during a three week training program at the fire training academy in Rochester, N.Y. during 2012, the mayor was extricated from the wreckage and transported to a hospital in another city in the Dominican Republic. From there he was airlifted to Miami for further medical treatment. According to doctors in Miami, he probably would have died without the intervention of the fire fighters who rescued him using their new equipment. He spent several weeks in the USA before returning to Puerto Plata to finish his recuperation. Chief Martinez and one of his lieutenants, Roberto Gonzalez, are currently in Rochester undergoing additional fire fighter training and meeting with many of the people responsible for donating the materials and the ambulance. Recently a meeting was held at Rochester City Hall and was attended by the Deputy Mayor, Len Redon, Rochester's Fire Chief, Salvatore Mitrano, International Sister Cities of Rochester Board President Carolee Conklin and several members of the PPRSCC. At this meeting Chief Martinez and Lieutenant Gonzalez were effusive in expressing the gratitude of the Puerto Plata community for the project and credit to the 914th Airlift Wing for the role they played in helping this project succeed. Among the people who were thanked for their donations was Tom Bonfiglio, head of Rural Metro Ambulance in Rochester who has promised another ambulance. Organizers are looking forward to Phase II of their fire fighter's project. No doubt the 914th Airlift Wing will be asked again for their support. Chief Master Sergeant Thomas Buschang, 30th Aerial Port Squadron Superintendent who supervised the loading of the last shipment said, it took numerous agencies to come together to produce the outstanding result. "Once the Rochester Fire Department and Rural Metro Ambulance donated equipment or vehicle(s) arrives at our facility, we look forward to the preparation, load planning and actual loading of needed cargo. The men and women here at the 30th APS benefit immensely, not only for the training aspects, but the self-satisfaction of knowing their effort in this case have directly helped save a life," said Buschang.