Yes, Costa Rica does have a national fire department

When I relocated to Costa Rica in 1980 I was asked a lot of naïve questions by my friends and family back in the U.S. One acquaintance asked if there were stores down here. Come on! Another person asked if there was a war going on. And there was a relative who inquired, “Do they have fire stations down there?” Potential retirees should know that we do have an excellent fire department.

Costa Rica’s National Fire Department (Benemerito Cuerpo de Bomberos de Costa Rica) was founded one-hundred and fifty-five years ago in 1864. Before then there were only volunteer firemen (bomberos voluntarios) and bucket brigades (cadena humana de cubetas) — lines of people who pass buckets of water from one to another to put out a fire. Unfortunately, neither were effective when combating really big fires or conflagrations. So, in 1864 el Cuerpo Nacional de Bomberos was founded. On May 25, 1924 the fire department became part the country’s national insurance company or INS as it called today.

The first horse -drawn fire pumps arrived in Costa Rica in the year 1910. However, they only had a capacity of 200 gallons. In 1913 the country purchased its first fire-fighting vehicle. It featured state-of-the-art technology and could pump 1000 gallons of water per minute. Since then Costa Rica’s fire department has always endeavored to keep up with the latest firefighting technology and equipment.

Recently, five new fire engine units valued at approximately $1.5 million were purchased. These new units have 415 horse power, 2018 technology and capacity to store 1000 gallons of water and 110 gallons of spray foam used for extinguishing fires. These new fire engines will be sent to the communities of Barrio Mexico, Ciudad Neilly, La Fortuna, Guapiles and Bagaces.

Beginning in the 1970s the country began to build more fire stations (casa de bomberos or estación de bomberos in Spanish) all over the country. Today Costa Rica boasts 76 firehouses including three that are at the country’s airports and a fireboat at the Los Sueños Marina.

Costa Rica’s firemen fight forest fires, house and business fires, handle snakes that invade homes, control swarms of bees, and deal with landslides, floods and rescues.

Expat retirees can feel safe knowing that the fire department is only a phone call away. Costa Rica has a 911 service just like the United States that can be used in the event of a fire, and to call an ambulance or the police.