La Paz firefighters completed advanced training in fire suppression and rescue techniques alongside fire departments from five U.S. jurisdictions. The binational program, coordinated through the Baja Fire & EMS Association, paired La Paz crews with counterparts from Washington D.C., Sycamore, Alpine, Bellevue, and Rancho Santa Fe.
Aerial Ladders, Rope Rescue, and Victim Extraction
The training covered aerial ladder operations, pump operation, victim extraction, and rope rescue at various angles. Fire Commander Juan Jesús Ruiz Redona said administrative and municipal security staff also took part in sessions on hemorrhage control, CPR, and automated external defibrillator (AED) use. Ruiz Redona emphasized that those skills are critical during the first five minutes of any emergency, before paramedics arrive.
La Paz, the capital of Baja California Sur with a population of roughly 300,000, relies on a municipal fire department that has historically operated with limited equipment. The city sits at the southern end of the Transpeninsular Highway, about 1,000 miles south of the U.S. border, and serves as a hub for a growing number of residents and visitors spread across colonias and beach communities.
U.S. Departments Donate Equipment to La Paz
Beyond classroom and field instruction, the partnership produced direct equipment donations. U.S. departments provided AEDs, rescue ropes, hydraulic rescue spreaders, and training props to the La Paz fire station. Hydraulic spreaders, often called the “jaws of life,” are used to extract victims from vehicle wrecks. La Paz sits along the busy Transpeninsular Highway (Highway 1) and the La Paz to Los Cabos corridor (Highway 19), both of which see frequent traffic collisions.
The Baja Fire & EMS Association has facilitated similar cross-border exchanges in the past, connecting Mexican departments with U.S. volunteer and professional crews. This type of cooperation gained wider visibility in January 2025, when Mexican firefighters traveled to Los Angeles to help battle that city’s devastating wildfires.
Ruiz Redona’s department plans to integrate the new equipment and techniques into regular operations at the La Paz station on Boulevard Forjadores, the main commercial corridor running through the city’s central district. The La Paz municipal government published details of the training program on its official news site, noticias.lapaz.gob.mx.