Bucerías, Nayarit, Mexico - On this episode of 'Bucerías Life,' Laura Gelezunas takes us to La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, Nayarit to meet a local expat couple who helped facilitate the delivery of an 'essentially free' fire truck from San Jose, California that will service La Cruz, the North Shore and, in emergencies, Puerto Vallarta.

You may not think of Banderas Bay as a hot spot for house fires since they are all made out of cement and brick, but there are plenty of things that can flame up. One local couple has made it easier for emergency departments to arrive with sirens screaming, on this episode of Bucerías Life.

"Everyone in the Nayarit Civil Protection Department is really excited because they have a number of bays at the fire station and before they only had a pick-up truck, an ambulance and a tanker - but they really needed a fire truck/pumper for this location," says Harold Sokolove, Volunteer Fireman and much more, "This gave my wife Sue and I chance to really give them a helping hand."

In addition to assisting with other kinds of emergencies, members of the fire department can now bravely fight vehicle and grass fires, home content blazes and exploding propane tanks with renewed confidence.

The fire men and women needed to get experience on the new vehicle and were sent north to do so. "We have had training from our people in Tepic," says Fire Chief Sergio Carrillo, "they showed us how to use the truck and all its equipment. This new truck that will help us a lot and we feel so happy."

Harold and Sue moved to Bucerías in 2005 and he wanted to become a volunteer fireman. He was a volunteer fireman in Texas and wanted to continue this tradition. He contacted the local bomberos and eventually made contact with the director of Proteccion Civil in the state of Nayarit. He has been working with them ever since.

"One day about four months ago the director of Proteccion Civil contacted my wife and I and said they needed some support for a fire truck that he was aware of in San Jose, California," says Harold, "and he needed some financial support and wondered if we would be able and willing to help out."

The director told them the fire truck was essentially free and that they would only be paying for the equipment that came with it, the ladders, the hose, nozzles, generator, lights and various other equipment - plus the cost for shipping the vehicle from San Jose to the Mexican Border.

"After some logistical maneuvering, we arranged for the fire truck to be put on a platform truck from San Jose to the border town of Tijuana," says Harold. "There it would have to sit and go through processing at Hacienda, the taxing body of Mexico, at that point, once it was processed at Hacienda, it would again be shipped on a platform truck to Tepic, the capital of Nayarit, and then from there it would be transported to La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, where it would eventually be stationed."

Total cost was $3500 dollars for the fire truck equipment and $2500 for transportation from San Jose to Tijuana, which was donated by Harold and Sue. The rest of the transport tab was picked up by Mexican authorities.

The fire truck/pumper is a 1971 Seagrave with a 500 gallon water capacity and the ability to pump so much more from tankers. It will service the North Shore and in emergencies Puerto Vallarta, so everyone can feel safe.

This is all part of Bucerías Life, Live It!

If you are thinking about making the move to the greater Puerto Vallarta area, contact Laura Gelezunas, who, in addition to hosting Bucerías Life, sells Banderas Bay real estate at Ron Morgan Properties, via email at Laura(at)RonMorgan.net. She'll be happy to help you find the home of your dreams!