U.S. Gov’t Donates Pants for Firefighters

THE Office of U.S. Foreign DisasterAssistance (OFDA) of the U.S. Agencyfor International Development (USAID)has donated $131,000 worth of specialprotective pants for forest firefighters toCosta Rica’s Ministry of Environment andEnergy (MINAE).The pants, made of Nomex – a lightweight,fire-resistant material – will protectforest firefighters and “diminish theprobability that they suffer burns,” said astatement from the U.S. Embassy in SanJosé.According to Fernando Calderón, anOFDA consultant in Costa Rica, the U.S.office has distributed similar pantsthroughout Central and South America.Tim Callaghan, regionalUSAID/OFDA director for Latin Americaand the Caribbean, made the officialdonation earlier this month in San José.“OFDA donated these pants with theintention of strengthening the(Environment Ministry’s) Forest FireProgram,” Calderón said.OFDA has provided assistance to thisprogram since 1997.