Tagged Firefighters Beyond Borders

Sherberg, supporter of Tucson Jewish community, fire foundation, dies

Esther Sherberg is the only civilian to be honored with transport toward her final resting place in The Last Alarm Foundation fire truck.
January 23, 2020 / Phyllis Braun, AJP Executive Editor

Esther Sherberg, a longtime Tucson resident and Jewish community volunteer, died Jan. 9, 2020, at the age of 86. Services were held Jan. 10 at Evergreen Mortuary, with Rabbi Robert Eisen of Congregation Anshei Israel officiating. Interment was in St. Louis, Missouri. Ms. Sherberg was born Oct. 1, 1933… Read more »

Tucson firefighters see counterparts in action on Israel mission

Members of the November 2018 Firefighters Without Borders mission pose with soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces 118th Division Tank Battalion in the Golan Heights, (L-R): Eliot Anderson, Scott Peru, Ted Geare, K. Paul Maxwell, Kris Blume, Steve Lunde. (Courtesy Firefighters Beyond Borders)
December 7, 2018 / Debe Campbell, AJP Assistant Editor

Tucson Firefighters Beyond Borders completed its third mission to Israel last month under an unexpected hail of missiles. That only added a new dimension to the multi-faceted, cross-cultural and cross-technology educational exchanges that began in 2013, according to the six participants. The delegation left Tucson on Nov. 6, spending… Read more »

New delegation of local firefighters heading to Israel

An Israeli firefighter views a wildfire that broke out near Jerusalem, Nov. 25, 2016. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
October 26, 2018 /

Six firefighters from Tucson will head to Israel next month to share their expertise in handling wildland fires. Since spring, incendiary kites and balloons launched from Gaza have burned thousands of acres of Israeli land. The trip is part of the Greater Tucson Fire Foundation’s Firefighters Beyond Borders program.… Read more »

Tucson peace officer’s trip bolsters regional bond with Israel

Jay Korza, right, with an Israel Defense Forces paramedic in Nir Am, Israel, in June 2017.
December 14, 2017 / David J. Del Grande, AJP Staff Writer

Israel’s intelligence community told a cohort of volunteer first responders that it is most concerned about a new war with Syria, says Jay Korza, a sergeant with the Pima County Sheriff’s Department. If that threat materializes, Korza will be there to help. Korza traveled to Israel this summer to… Read more »

Local firefighters drop everything to help Israel battle blazes

Randy Odgen, right, who retired Dec. 5 from Mt. Lemmon Fire District, where he served as fire chief for six and a half years, helps battle a five-story apartment fire in Jerusalem on Nov. 29. All residents were evacuated safely and the fire was contained. Ogden, who retired from the Tucson Fire Department in June 2010 after 33 years of service, says of his Israel deployment, “I am privileged to end my career as I began it, running calls and hauling hoses as a firefighter.” (Arik Abouloff)
December 15, 2016 / Nancy Ben-Asher Ozeri, Special to the AJP

As soon as she heard about the hundreds of fires raging through Israel late last month, Marcela Donovan Hammond expected a call. Having just completed her Emergency Volunteer Project training in Israel in September  the Nogales firefighter, arson investigator and mother of six was prepared to drop everything at… Read more »

Local firefighters get hands-on training as volunteers in Israel

Southern Arizona firefighters (from left) Marcela Donovan Hammond (Nogales Fire Department), Capt. Bruce Avram (Tucson Fire Department), Chief Randy Ogden (Mt. Lemmon Fire District), Jeremy Carillo (Rio Rico Fire and Medical District) and Captain Pete Ashcraft (Nogales Fire Department) tour a mobile command post in Haifa with Guy Caspi, chief mass casualty incident instructor of Magen David Adom, Israel’s emergency medical services unit (seated). (Facebook)
October 20, 2016 / Nancy Ben-Asher Ozeri, Special to the AJP

Five Southern Arizona firefighters recently spent nine days in Israel training and battling blazes with fire crews in Jerusalem and Petach Tikvah. As the latest Firefighters Beyond Borders delegation, they were the first personnel from Arizona to participate in the Emergency Volunteer Project, a program that trains first-responders to… Read more »

Session to outline emergency volunteer project in Israel
June 23, 2016 /

The Greater Tucson Fire Foundation will host an information session about the Emergency Volunteer Project, an opportunity for professional volunteer opportunities in Israel, on Sunday, June 26, from 2-4 p.m. at the Tucson Jewish Community Center. The project’s mission is to recruit, train and deploy dedicated individuals who will… Read more »

In focus 4.29.16
May 2, 2016 /

Brandeis high tea The Tucson chapter of the Brandeis National Committee held a “High Tea” party and installation of officers on Wednesday, April 6 at Skyline Country Club, with 65 people attending. Marilyn Heins, M.D., spoke on “The Joy of Aging.” Proceeds from the event benefit the Tucson Endowed… Read more »

Top Israeli first responders train, consult with Tucson experts

Chief Les Caid of Rio Rico Fire District, in blue shirt, with Israelis, from left, Guy Caspi, Magen David Adom; Brig. Gen. Shmulik Friedman, Israel Fire and Rescue Authority; Lt. Col. Ariel Blitz, Israel Defense Forces Home Front Command; Maj. Sivan Inbar, Israel Defense Forces Home Front Command. Not pictured: Avi Borger, National Emergency Management Authority (Firefighters Beyond Borders Facebook page)
November 19, 2015 / Nancy Ben-Asher Ozeri, Special to the AJP

“When we train for mass casualty incidents, we know that the blood isn’t real and when the training is over, everyone is going to stand up and walk away. How does Israel deal with real mass casualty incidents that can happen every day?” That question by Tucson Fire Department… Read more »

Senior Israeli first responders to greet Tucsonans at Q&A
October 8, 2015 /

The Weintraub Israel Center and the Greater Tucson Fire Foundation will present “Israeli Response and Readiness —Terrorism and Natural Disasters,” a meet and greet and Q&A with the senior officials who develop and implement Israel’s emergency preparedness, response and recovery services, on Monday, Oct. 19, from 5:30-7 p.m. at… Read more »