Our History
In 1986, while serving as mayor of Pirque, Mr. Sergio Santander F. reached out to members of the Puente Alto Fire Department to establish the Fifth Company in Pirque, thereby addressing the needs of the Pirque community.
As the project progressed, the Pirque firefighters moved onto land provided on a loan for use by the Ossandon family, specifically Mr. Roberto Ossandon. This loan for use was granted to the Municipality of Pirque for the exclusive use of the fire department, and the Fifth Company’s firehouse was built there. Initially, it was a simple shed that housed the first fire truck to serve the community, a red 1973 Citroën AK-6 nicknamed“La chispita.”Adjacent to this were nearby structures that were used as part of the facilities; although they were not located on the land covered by the loan agreement. And so, on April 19, 1986, the Fifth Company was founded for the first time. Over time, this shed was replaced by a higher-quality, fully enclosed one; the old shed was moved to the school in San Juan de Pirque. The new shed brought with it a new challenge, and the company’s volunteers began building part of the fire station that stands today.
After a couple of years, the initiative to establish the Fifth Company lost momentum, and Puente Alto abandoned the idea, leaving the facilities abandoned, with only one volunteer—Honorary Volunteer Ángel Agustín Romero Gallardo—taking care of them.
In 1995, a group of municipal officials and residents of Pirque took on the task of bringing the formation of the Company to fruition in a concrete and defined manner; among whom we can name Messrs. Samuel Pérez San Martín, Alejandro Puente Espil, Néstor Rojas, Roberto Sánchez Bascuñan, Mauricio Rubio Rojas, Ángel Romero Gallardo, Fernando Puente Espil, Sergio Muñoz Pezoa, Ramón Vásquez Acevedo, and Hugo Ronny Gutiérrez Maluenda, among others.
During José Manuel Ossandon’s term as mayor, negotiations with Puente Alto were resumed to reopen this company, this time under the name “BOMBA PIRQUE Emergency Brigade.” The negotiations were successful, and the Puente Alto Fire Department committed to providing training to qualify no fewer than 25 volunteers who must pass and meet the requirements to form a company. It was at this stage that the initiative gained momentum, and Bomba Pirque was born.
After several years of training, sacrifice, dedication, and a great deal of patience—a period during which some fell by the wayside while others joined the effort— in the year 2000, things finally fell into place with the Puente Alto Fire Department, which provided the training and support so that, on January 24, 2001, the FIFTH COMPANY OF THE PUENTE ALTO FIRE DEPARTMENT – PIRQUE, which provides services for the Fire Department in question and especially for the citizens of Pirque, who finally saw their wish to have their own company in the municipality fulfilled. It was founded under the motto “Serving is a Privilege.”
Thus, year after year, our company has undergone various changes. Our history spans years of service, during which only four of our founders remained active. We must also mention that, little by little, we built this dream; we began to attract volunteers to our ranks, and with this, we began to pass the torch that today continues to light the way for the Quintinas and Quintinos who join our ranks each year.
Back in 2012, I could have sworn I’d be the first female volunteer to join the Pirque Fire Station roster and pave the way for the 15 female volunteers who now strengthen our unit.
Over the past 10 years, our company has been represented in the general leadership that has guided the direction of our Fire Department, both at Headquarters in the roles of Third Commander, Second Commander, and Commander, and at the Superintendency in the roles of Deputy Superintendent and General Administrator.
This year we celebrate our fifth five-year term—25 years in which we have experienced it all. La Quinta has been forged through discipline and has learned from its setbacks, because we understand that we are dedicated to service and that service owes us nothing; every member knows that they wear the number five on their forehead, a star that illuminates them and guides them along the path of goodness.