Drivers from three Grande Prairie Rotary Clubs and the Edson Rotary Club started their eight-day drive to Mazatlan, Mexico, at 6 a.m. on Friday. The 17 drivers are part of the 21st year of the Highway to Mexico, and the convoy for this year’s 5,500-kilometre drive includes one pumper truck, two ambulances and five school buses.
According to Highway to Mexico Coordinators Mark Marcotte and Norman Lafleur, the vehicles will be distributed to individual fire departments, not-for-profit associations, and municipal hospitals once in Mexico.
Out of the eight vehicles making this year’s travel, only four have been removed from service in Canada due to age. Over the past 21 years, more than 100 vehicles have been delivered to the State of Sinaloa, in partnership with the Rotary Mexican Rotary Clubs, along with used fire fighting equipment.
“The project is also responsible for the start-up of numerous actual fire departments in smaller cities and villages close to Mazatlan,” Marcotte and Lafleur say. “These places made do with old pickup trucks and portable pumps before receiving a fire truck, ambulance, and protective equipment.”
Various municipalities, industrial safety companies, and suppliers donate the different pieces of equipment. The individual Rotary clubs who are providing drivers participating in the convoy, including Swan City Rotary Club, the Rotary Club of Grande Prairie, Grande Prairie Rotary After Five, and Edson Rotary Club, provide the funding for things such as travel, fuel, and insurance.