A Spalding firefighter has returned after helping people in Venezuela following an earthquake which has killed 2,595 people.
Darren Burchnall was part of the UK International Search and Rescue (UK ISAR) that spent nine days in La Guaira and working within that area and La Llanada.
He’s one of ten in Lincolnshire who got a request on Friday, June 26 to fly to South America the next day for the rescue efforts.
After a hastily rearranged trip to York to collect his daughter from university, he and Martin Lang, based in Lincoln, were among 68 from the UK that provided expertise.
Jobs included carrying out extensive search, reconnaissance and structural assessment activity across earthquake-affected communities – conducting street-by-street assessments of hundreds of damaged buildings, identifying hazards and humanitarian needs, helping safely clear structures and determining where further search and rescue efforts should be focused.
Darren (54) has been a fire fighter for 33 years having grown up Whaplode Drove inspired by the tales of his grandad Jeff Burchnall who was a firefighter himself.
He’s been a part of ISAR for seven years and previously supported those in Morocco in 2023.
“It involves warm and cold weather training, so I’ve been out in the woods in Sweden and hot weather training in Singapore,” Darren said. “That really helped me in Venezuela as the first thing that hit you was the heat and humidity.
“The people were all really friendly and grateful we were there. Whenever we go to any incident, we know that what is a normal day for us is the worst day of their lives for those we encounter.
“Your training kicks in and you just do your job. People were really grateful that we were able to make sure buildings were clear and give them a bit of morale support.”
When asked what he’s most proud of, Darren says it’s of his team.
“It’s not just the people in Venezuela, it’s everyone including those on standby and those that drive you to the airport. Fire fighting is one big family.”
