SANDY, Utah — Sandy City is donating emergency response supplies to a city in Mexico to help keep residents safe.
“Whether it’s rural Utah or friends and neighbors in central Mexico, if it can help save lives, that’s where we want the equipment to be,” said Sandy City Mayor Monica Zoltanski.
The city donated the “Jaws of Life,” which is equipment to help extricate people from vehicles after a crash, to the city of Zacatecas.
“We’re talking 160,000 residents operating off of 39 volunteer firefighters and they don’t have this equipment, whatsoever,” explained Sandy City Fire Chief Jeff Bassett.
Sandy upgraded its tools, so they gave away the old ones that were still in working and safe condition to other departments in need.
“It’s critical, it’s a rapid assessment, it’s a rapid tool to help the injured, and without them, I don’t know how we would do our job,” explained Chief Bassett.
The Federation of Mexicans United in Utah, led by Salvador Lazalde, helped facilitate the donation.
“It makes you feel good, it makes me feel proud being from Zacatecas," said Lazalde. "It makes you feel good to be able to help people, to do something."
The group also sends other supplies to people in need.
“They need more things like medical equipment; like school buses, like shoes, clothes, food, different things based on the needs of our people,” added Lazalde. “Our job now is to knock doors and ask for help for our people who live in Mexico.”
Once donations are sent to Mexico, Lazalde said there is a branch of the organization making sure the right people get the supplies.
“When we send an ambulance or a school bus, they will supervise the city or the president. They’re going to make sure it’s being used the right way,” he said.
The group is then sent pictures and videos of how the items are distributed.
“When you see the pictures, when the people receive the things, you see their face; some cry, its many faces, many emotions. That makes you really happy.” said Rafael de Alba always with the federation.
The equipment should be on a truck by the end of next week and make it to Zacatecas a few weeks after that.
