By Martinique Davis
The Watch (Telluride, Colorado, USA)
Doug Mendel Cambodian Relief Fund Supports Firefighters
MONTROSE – Not long ago, firefighters in the Cambodian city of Battambang could only hope that they would be able to hear each other at the scene of a fire because they didn’t have radios.
Today, the station’s 14 firefighters are able to communicate more effectively thanks to the Doug Mendel Cambodian Relief Fund, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization based in Montrose. Mendel is currently in Cambodia where last week he hand-delivered three brand new Motorola radios to the Battambang fire station, adding to the six he had donated on previous humanitarian trips.
Mendel started the Doug Mendel Cambodian Relief Fund in 2003 – at the time he was a volunteer firefighter for Summit County’s Lake Dillon Fire Department – when he delivered three boxes of donated supplies to a fire station in the small town of Sihanoukville. Nearly six years, 12 trips and more than three tons of donated gear later, Mendel has become a familiar face at fire stations across Cambodia.
“A box – or 15 – makes a huge difference in the lives of the firefighters here,” Mendel wrote in an email last week. Since 2003, Mendel has delivered over 100 boxes of supplies and gear for fire stations in Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville, Kampot, Battambang, Siem Reap, and Ratanakiri Province.
Much of the gear donated for this trip, including 28 bunker coats, 37 bunker pants and 20 helmets, went to the fire station in Phnom Penh, the capital city with a population of 1.4 million but home to only one fire station employing just 89 firefighters and operating nine fire trucks.
“Since the fire stations receive very little assistance, [the donations] have made a huge difference for the firefighters as they now can fight fires more safely and efficiently with the donated gear,” Mendel said. Without Mendel’s support, many Cambodian firefighters would still be responding to fires wearing shorts and sandals.
Along with the three new radios for the station in Battambang, Mendel also was able to purchase a telephone for the fire station; the phone number has been painted on their fire trucks and represents the first time the community has had a specialized number they can call to report a fire. “It is an amazing feeling to start or improve a city’s communication needs for the cost of about $1,000,” Mendel said.
“In America, we almost take for granted the communication system for the emergency services in cities and towns.”
During this trip, Mendel says he hopes to lay some significant groundwork toward the Cambodian Relief Fund’s next major project of helping finance the construction of one or more fire stations in the country. Last week he wrote that he has plans to meet with various people in Cambodia interested in helping spearhead the constructing project, which represents a new direction for the homegrown, grassroots organization currently based out of Mendel’s home in Montrose.
The Douglas Mendel Cambodian Relief Fund has expanded to include other humanitarian missions as well. He has helped equip rangers at two national parks with digital cameras, GPS units and camera traps to keep tabs on threatened species. Mendel’s organization also provides clothing, stuffed animals, vitamins, dental supplies, mannequins for CPR training, radios, digital cameras, and camcorders for the children and staff at two Cambodian organizations that assist disadvantaged street children and disabled citizens.
Mendel’s grassroots approach to humanitarianism is funded in part by the Cambodian people themselves. During each trip to Cambodia Mendel collects and brings back handmade crafts, mostly silk purses and scarves, that he sells at various venues. All proceeds go toward the purchase of gear and supplies. He said he hopes to bring some of his Cambodian wares to Telluride this winter, and is currently seeking a venue.
Mendel also raises money for the nonprofit through individual donations collected at his website, www.dougmendel.com.
MONTROSE – Not long ago, firefighters in the Cambodian city of Battambang could only hope that they would be able to hear each other at the scene of a fire because they didn’t have radios.
Today, the station’s 14 firefighters are able to communicate more effectively thanks to the Doug Mendel Cambodian Relief Fund, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization based in Montrose. Mendel is currently in Cambodia where last week he hand-delivered three brand new Motorola radios to the Battambang fire station, adding to the six he had donated on previous humanitarian trips.
Mendel started the Doug Mendel Cambodian Relief Fund in 2003 – at the time he was a volunteer firefighter for Summit County’s Lake Dillon Fire Department – when he delivered three boxes of donated supplies to a fire station in the small town of Sihanoukville. Nearly six years, 12 trips and more than three tons of donated gear later, Mendel has become a familiar face at fire stations across Cambodia.
“A box – or 15 – makes a huge difference in the lives of the firefighters here,” Mendel wrote in an email last week. Since 2003, Mendel has delivered over 100 boxes of supplies and gear for fire stations in Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville, Kampot, Battambang, Siem Reap, and Ratanakiri Province.
Much of the gear donated for this trip, including 28 bunker coats, 37 bunker pants and 20 helmets, went to the fire station in Phnom Penh, the capital city with a population of 1.4 million but home to only one fire station employing just 89 firefighters and operating nine fire trucks.
“Since the fire stations receive very little assistance, [the donations] have made a huge difference for the firefighters as they now can fight fires more safely and efficiently with the donated gear,” Mendel said. Without Mendel’s support, many Cambodian firefighters would still be responding to fires wearing shorts and sandals.
Along with the three new radios for the station in Battambang, Mendel also was able to purchase a telephone for the fire station; the phone number has been painted on their fire trucks and represents the first time the community has had a specialized number they can call to report a fire. “It is an amazing feeling to start or improve a city’s communication needs for the cost of about $1,000,” Mendel said.
“In America, we almost take for granted the communication system for the emergency services in cities and towns.”
During this trip, Mendel says he hopes to lay some significant groundwork toward the Cambodian Relief Fund’s next major project of helping finance the construction of one or more fire stations in the country. Last week he wrote that he has plans to meet with various people in Cambodia interested in helping spearhead the constructing project, which represents a new direction for the homegrown, grassroots organization currently based out of Mendel’s home in Montrose.
The Douglas Mendel Cambodian Relief Fund has expanded to include other humanitarian missions as well. He has helped equip rangers at two national parks with digital cameras, GPS units and camera traps to keep tabs on threatened species. Mendel’s organization also provides clothing, stuffed animals, vitamins, dental supplies, mannequins for CPR training, radios, digital cameras, and camcorders for the children and staff at two Cambodian organizations that assist disadvantaged street children and disabled citizens.
Mendel’s grassroots approach to humanitarianism is funded in part by the Cambodian people themselves. During each trip to Cambodia Mendel collects and brings back handmade crafts, mostly silk purses and scarves, that he sells at various venues. All proceeds go toward the purchase of gear and supplies. He said he hopes to bring some of his Cambodian wares to Telluride this winter, and is currently seeking a venue.
Mendel also raises money for the nonprofit through individual donations collected at his website, www.dougmendel.com.
