Firefighting in Cuba

A fire station in Havana

Firefighting in Cuba is operated by the Cuban Fire Corps (Cuerpo de Bomberos de Cuba), a subset of the Ministry of the Interior (MININT). Cuba is home to both volunteer and professional firefighters, as well as conscripts fulfilling their military service.

History

Firefighting in Cuba began during the colonial era on November 13, 1696, in Santa Clara. Following various fires, the community agreed to pay for firefighting equipment and water pumps to fight the fires, on a volunteer basis. The first hand pumps were brought to Havana in 1795, where they were operated by enslaved blacks. After the establishment of the first firefighting group in Santa Clara, another was established in Batabanó in 1798. Then, on January 14, 1831, a corps of firefighters was established in Santiago. This was followed by the establishment of the Santa Clara Fire Department in 1832. The same year, a Professional Corps of Civil Firefighters (Cuerpo Profesional de Bomberos Civiles) was established in Cárdenas. In 1835, the Corps of Honorable Workers and Firefighters of Havana (Cuerpo de Honrados Obreros y Bomberos) was established. One year later came the Commerce Firefighters of Matanzas and Cienfuegos, who were in turn followed by the establishment of various fire brigades across the island. The first horse-drawn steam pump came to Havana on June 6, 1855.

On September 12, 1963, the National Firefighters School or ENB (Escuela Nacional de Bomberos) opened in La Lisa, and in 1965, the first conscripts joined the school. The school has since graduated over 10,000 people.

Isasi Fire
DateMay 17, 1890 (1890-05-17)
Location
TypeFire / Explosion
Deaths38

Isasi Fire

On the night of Saturday, May 17, 1890, a fire broke out at a hardware store owned by Juan Isasi (also spelled 'Isassi') at the corner of Mercaderes and Lamparilla streets in Old Havana. The owner's refusal to provide information, coupled with the large amount of dynamite he was secretly hiding in his store, ended up leading to a series of explosions that caused the deaths of 17 commerce firefighters, 8 municipal firefighters, 4 public service officers, 8 citizens, and a member of the navy. In total, 38 people died.

Training and membership

Typically, fire training can begin at 16 as long as parents sign taking responsibility. On paper, prospective firefighters have to be at least 18 and have finished 12th grade to join, however in practice, this rule isn't always followed.

Many of Cuba's firefighters are conscripts serving during their mandatory military service. Many conscripts are sent to work in the fire service, sometimes lacking protective equipment, safety measures, and proper training. Cuban conscription law bans the refusal of such orders. Cuban authorities typically do not release information pertaining to incidents during mandatory military service, fatal or not.

Protective equipment in a fire station in rural Cuba

Cuba also has volunteer firefighters. They operate under the umbrella of the Cuban Volunteer Firefighter Association (Asociación de Bomberos Voluntarios de Cuba), which was founded on December 23, 1986, as an additional organizational unit to the Cuban fire service. Methods of reaching volunteers can be uneven, and they sometimes have to mobilize themselves.

Challenges

Many areas lack firefighters; as of 2010, the province of Artemisa only had 22 professional firefighters, 8 soldiers in the military service, and 37 volunteer auxiliaries, covering a province of 1,546.06 sq mi (4,004.3 km2) with half a million people. Firefighting equipment in Cuba is often old, and departments sometimes rely on equipment donations from other countries such as Russia. Vehicles frequently lack water and proper equipment, and response times are often long.

Aside from the lack of operational fire trucks and adequate equipment, fire brigades are often affected by fuel shortages, which can leave firefighters no choice but to find other ways to arrive on scene.

References

  1. ↑ "MININT". cuba-militaria (in German). 2014-04-01. Retrieved 2026-10-28.
  2. 1 2 3 Valenzuela García, Teresa (2017-04-21). "El primer Cuerpo de Bomberos en Cuba" [The First Fire Brigade in Cuba]. Radio Rebelde (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2019-12-11. Retrieved 2026-10-27.
  3. 1 2 "Recuerdan orígenes del Cuerpo de Bomberos de Cuba". Órgano de la Central de Trabajadores de Cuba. 2024-11-13. Archived from the original on 2026-10-27. Retrieved 2026-10-27.
  4. 1 2 Domínguez Cruz, Ana María (2013-11-13). "Las llamas de la vida". Juventud Rebelde (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2026-10-27. Retrieved 2026-10-27.
  5. 1 2 Hernández, Yanelys (2010-05-21). "Reseña - 314 años de creados los bomberos cubanos". Radio Artemisa Digital. Archived from the original on 2010-05-24. Retrieved 2026-10-28.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Torres González, Dunia (2018-11-10). "Bomberos, más que una historia de fuego". Cubahora (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2026-10-28. Retrieved 2026-10-28.
  7. 1 2 Luben Pérez, Lino (2026-05-15). "Concluirá el domingo la Semana Nacional de Protección contra Incendios" [National Fire Protection Week Ends Sunday]. Agencia Cubana de Noticias (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2026-10-27. Retrieved 2026-10-27.
  8. ↑ "Tributo a bomberos caídos en el incendio a la ferretería Isasi". Noticias de Bomberos (in Spanish). 2021-05-19. Archived from the original on 2026-10-28. Retrieved 2026-10-28.
  9. ↑ García Acosta, Dinella; Blanco, Andy Jorge (2022-05-11). ""Vístanse a la velocidad de la luz": La voz de mando de Claudia, la bombera del Saratoga". CubaDebate (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2026-10-27. Retrieved 2026-10-27.
  10. ↑ Martínez Montero, Norge (2007-02-03). "Reconocen audacia de cuerpo de bomberos". Juventud Rebelde. Archived from the original on 2007-02-06. Retrieved 2026-10-28.
  11. ↑ "Cuba envió a jóvenes "sin el entrenamiento necesario" a sofocar el mayor incendio de su historia". TELEMUNDO.com (in Spanish). 2022-08-19. Archived from the original on 2026-10-28. Retrieved 2026-10-27.
  12. ↑ Rodríguez, Claudia Hernández (2014-11-12). "Bomberos: una profesión de ahora". Cubahora (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2026-10-28. Retrieved 2026-10-27.
  13. ↑ "Ley 163/2023 "Código Penal Militar"" [Law 163/2023 “Military Penal Code”] (PDF). Gaceta Oficial de la República de Cuba. GOC-2023-958-O113 (No. 113, Ordinaria) (in Spanish). Havana: El Ministerio de Justicia de la República de Cuba (MINJUS). 2023-11-20. p. 3088. ISSN 1682-7511. Retrieved 2026-10-27.
  14. 1 2 Blanco, Andy Jorge (2022-08-09). "Bombero voluntario en camino" [Volunteer firefighter en route]. CubaDebate (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2026-10-28. Retrieved 2026-10-28.
  15. ↑ "Asociación de Bomberos Voluntarios de Cuba". CubaDebate. Archived from the original on 2026-10-28. Retrieved 2026-10-28.
  16. ↑ Redacción Radio Llanura (2026-08-05). "5 de agosto de 2022: uno de los días más dolorosos en la historia de Matanzas" [August 5th, 2022: one of the most painful days in the history of Matanzas]. Radio Llanura de Colon (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2026-10-28. Retrieved 2026-10-28.
  17. ↑ Cuba (2023-05-25). ""Los bomberos no tenían agua": vecinos sofocan incendio en edificio de Banes" ["The firefighters had no water": neighbors extinguish fire in building in Banes]. ADN Cuba (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2026-10-28. Retrieved 2026-10-28.
  18. ↑ "Se incendia el cabaret de San Juan y Martínez: "Un solo carro de bomberos y sin agua"" [The cabaret in San Juan y Martínez catches fire: "Only one fire engine and no water"]. Periódico Cubano (in Spanish). 2021-01-28. Archived from the original on 2026-10-28. Retrieved 2026-10-28.
  19. ↑ Redacción de CiberCuba (2022-01-03). "Vecinos critican ineficiencia de los bomberos tras un incendio en ciudad cubana de Gibara" [Neighbors criticize inefficiency of firefighters following a fire in the Cuban city of Gibara]. CiberCuba (in Spanish). Retrieved 2026-10-28.
  20. ↑ Mayeta, Yosmany (2017-01-31). "Un incendio destruye un almacén del Fondo de Bienes Culturales en Centro Habana" [Fire destroys a warehouse belonging to the Cultural Assets Fund in Central Havana]. 14ymedio (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2026-10-28. Retrieved 2026-10-28.
  21. ↑ DDC (2023-12-20). "Rusia dona al Cuerpo de Bomberos de Cuba camiones para proteger refinerías y aeropuertos | DIARIO DE CUBA". diariodecuba.com (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2026-10-28. Retrieved 2026-10-28.
  22. ↑ OnCuba, Redacción (2023-12-28). "Cuerpo de Bomberos de Cuba "multiplicará las capacidades de respuesta" con nuevos carros rusos". OnCubaNews (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2026-10-28. Retrieved 2026-10-28.
  23. ↑ Gámez Torres, Nora (2022-08-08). "As Cuba struggles to put out oil tank fire, questions about disaster response mount". Miami Herald. Retrieved 2026-10-28.
  24. ↑ Sánchez Martínez, Pepe (2026-05-28). "Bomberos en bicicleta en Cuba: denuncian crisis" [Firefighters on bicycles in Cuba: crisis denounced]. Periódico de Cuba (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2026-10-28. Retrieved 2026-10-28.
  25. ↑ López Moya, Natalia (2022-01-29). "Havana Firefighters Travel by Tricycle – Translating Cuba". Translating Cuba. Retrieved 2026-10-28 – via 14ymedio.