The Consortium of Firefighters of Tenerife honored its personnel in the first edition of some awards that were born with a vocation for continuity. The president of the Cabildo, Pedro Martín, presided over an emotional award-giving gala that comes from professionals. They valued work in parallel to work on fire prevention and extinction, including extraordinary cases such as the La Palma volcano.
2023 and 23 years since its creation in 2000. The number accompanies the Consortium of Firefighters of Tenerife that yesterday honored its staff and other people and institutions with some first annual awards that are born with a vocation for continuity. The president of the Cabildo, Pedro Martín, presided over the 19-award-giving gala at the Fairgrounds in front of more than 300 people, including friends and relatives of the distinguished. The reasons are very varied, as well as the services carried out by these men and women throughout 2022 and so far in 2023. From facing a large urban fire in the Bel Air Building (Puerto de la Cruz), in August, to avoiding a suicide in Tejina (La Laguna) last February.
The intention was to highlight the internal staff and external institutions or individuals that have collaborated with the Consortium in an outstanding way. The awards coincide with the recent celebration of the patron saint of the body, San Juan de Dios, on March 8. There was also room for music, through the group La Tropa, and humor, with the performance of Aarón Gómez.
Pedro Martín assessed: “The Cabildo has placed the security management of Tenerife as a priority objective.” He listed achievements in these four years, such as the increase in the budget for the Consortium, the improvement of the parks, the start-up of new facilities, the renovation of the fleet and the incorporation of 50 firefighters who will complete the staff this year.
The president pointed out that for Tenerife “it is a great pride to have a Consortium made up of excellent professionals, prominent on the national scene, who are involved in training activities and raising awareness in society.” He predicted that these awards “will consolidate and provide institutional value.”
The President of the Consortium and Island Director of Security, Rubén Fernández, recalled that “these last years have not been easy and they have responded with professionalism and know-how”.
Acknowledgments
Three firefighters retired in 2022, while four completed 15 (1) or 30 (3) years of service. In addition, the II Crossofire Meeting, the XV Hassanias Memorial, the three from Tenerife at the World Police and Fire Games Rotterdam 2022 were awarded prizes in sporting and social representation events; The team of Traffic accidents and the Administrative Headquarters.
interventions
In the Coordination category, distinction to area technicians; in Personal Intervention, to Jonathan Rodríguez, for his performance against a suicide attempt in Tejina; in Action in Service of Great Magnitude, to the team of Shift 3 of B2, for the fire of the Bel Air building, in Puerto de la Cruz.
Institutional
The Todos a una was awarded to the Cabildo Highway staff and the Toda una Vida distinction to the Red Cross.
Tribute to the figure of ‘Kung Fu’
The name of Juan Manuel Martín Suárez is unknown to current firefighters and to many already retired. Mentioning Kung Fu is something else. Yesterday he received the first prize from the Consortium in the individual category Hero without a cape, which recognizes his trajectory for almost 40 years of service. Despite his retirement, thirteen years ago, he still participates in organized activities. At 74, this chicharrero, who worked in the Santa Cruz park, claims to be “well” as the athlete he was and is. He assesses, amused, that “at the moment, I don’t have a cape.” He does not consider himself a hero, but “a worker who liked a profession since he was a child and enjoyed it.” He remembers two “very unpleasant” moments: the plane crashes at Los Rodeos, in 1977, and El Diablillo, in La Esperanza (1980). And the million dollar question: “Why do they call it Kung Fu?” Answer: “In 1972, when I entered the Fire Department, it was a fashion series on television.” He practiced martial arts and was going to train Tomé Cano. He adds: “I lived in La Cepsa, I walked from home with my little backpack and my tennis shoes hanging – like the character, the Shaolin monk Kwai Chang Caine, played by David Carradine.” He continues: «A firefighter friend, Pepín, already retired, always repeated here comes Kung Fu and Kung Fu stayed». An anecdote: «In the bags of salty pipes came some pictures of famous people. The one on Kung Fu was signed by Pepín and I keep it like gold on a cloth ». | JDM
