Dia del Bombero

Since we have been in Bucerias, we have spent a lot of time with some of the Proteccion Civil guys. The department provides fire fighting and ambulance service to the Bahia de Banderas. We’ve brought some donations for them from Texas, too.
Alex, who is one of the training officers, speaks English pretty well. He and his partner Ramon go to schools and teach about fire prevention and safety. We have become friends with Alex and his wife and daughter.
Alex told us that August 22 is the national Dia del Bombero, or Day of the Fireman. For several weeks the fire fighters were collecting donations from area businesses for a party that day. Additionally, the Bahia de Banderas was planning formal ceremonies
We received a written invitation to the ceremony and a verbal invitation to the party. The official part began at 9 a.m. We went to the plaza in Valle de Banderas where the municipal offices are located. All the firefighters were there in their dress uniforms. We had never seen them in anything other than their usual fire .
department T-shirts so we were impressed with how official they looked. The short ceremony involved a speech by Dr. Cuevas, president of the Bahia de Banderas, and one by Dr. Claudio Estrada, head of Proteccion Civil. After the official ceremony, the fire fighters got into the ambulances, pick-up trucks and pumper truck for a mini parade. We rode in one of the trucks and got to “help” with the siren.
After the parade, a breakfast was planned at a local restaurant. By this time, Harold was not feeling well so he headed home. I stayed for the breakfast, which was very nice. Some of the wives and a few kids came. Another round of speeches from Dr. Cuevas, Dr. Estrada and a few others took place. Certificates were presented to the fire fighters, breakfast was served, and there was mariachi music.
After breakfast, there was a special Mass held at the church in Valle de Banderas. Other than the Proteccion Civil crew, a few wives and kids there were only a couple people at the Mass. I hitched a ride over to the church with one of the wives. Of course it was all in Spanish, so I don’t really know what was said. Dr. Estrada and assistant chief Clemente Contreras spoke during the Mass. Afterward, the priest blessed all the fire equipment and the firefighters, sprinkling holy water all around.
That was the end of the official program. Then it was time for the fiesta. It was held at a house in San Jose del Valle. The house has a very large, beautiful lot and pool. There is a separate outdoor kitchen. The guys went and brought all the supplies for the fiesta – the grill, tables, chairs, beer, tequila, soda and of course plenty of food!
Since Harold had gone home, I needed a ride to the party. I was given a ride there in one of the new ambulances. All day long, people asked me where Harold was. When I told them he was sick, they all were disappointed that he couldn't come to the party. They also made sure I had plenty to eat and drink, and that I was having a good time.
The families were all invited, so pretty soon lots of people arrived. The swimming pool was a big hit with everyone. All the ladies pitched in and chopped vegetables for salsa, made guacamole and helped set up for the meal. The guys took care of the grilling, of course. The party got going around 2 in the afternoon. Eventually almost everyone went into the pool, either on their own or were thrown in. There was plenty of eating, drinking and fun. Of course there was a boom box so there was music. The location was excellent.
I think I was the only person at the party who was not a member of the fire department or a family member. A few of the guys speak some English, but I definitely got a workout in speaking Spanish, especially with the wives.
About 9 or so, it started raining. Other than moving clothes and towels under cover, the party went on as usual. Then it started raining very hard and there was lots of thunder and lightning. After a bit, Claudio tried to get everyone out of the pool and under cover. He told everyone not to leave until the storm died down. As the storm was tapering off, most of the firefighters ended up going back into the pool before starting to clean up the area. They seemed to get everything picked up pretty well. Claudio, the chief, lives in Bucerias, so his wife and daughter gave me a ride home. Alex also had offered to take me home. Ramon, who lives near Nuevo Vallarta, also offered to give me a ride if I needed it. Harold didn't need to worry about whther or not I was safe!
I had a very fun time all day, but was sad that Harold had to miss it. When I got home, he was still not feeling well and was glad he had come home early.