Human Trafficking Awareness Training for Firefighters

Belize Heroes, a U.S. based N.G.O. founded by Belizean Archibald McFarlane in Virginia, is back in the news tonight. Over the course of last week, McFarlane was out west providing training to firefighters on Human Trafficking Awareness for First Responders. Police officers from the Anti-Trafficking of Persons Unit also attended the training in Belmopan. News Five spoke with McFarlane about the training with instructor Mike Lynn from Fairfax Fire Department

Archibald McFarlane

Archibald McFarlane, Founder/President, Belize Heroes

“It went really well. It was very receptive. The guys learned a lot of techniques; the signs and symptoms to look out for for victims who have been trafficked and then learn the proper procedures to make the report to ATIPs and the Department of Human Development. So it went really well.”

Duane Moody

“How important is this for firefighters?”

Archibald McFarlane

“It is very important. Let’s think about it. We are going to be called into many situations, people are going to invite us into their homes and if we are going to helping to combat some of these crimes against societies, we need to be able to make sure that we are trained to recognize them and report them properly to the authorities. So this is one step that the fire department is being utilized that nobody really thought of before so it is amazing.”

Belize Heroes has assisted the National Fire Service in developing the capacity of the department in its response to trauma.