Our Story
The act of donating firefighting equipment and/or providing training to a fire department/country with fewer resources is not a new concept; in fact, there are numerous organizations that are doing outstanding work in this area. However, the act of helping to shape an organization to take its rightful place of excellence in the provision of public safety services is new. It is in this area that Belize Heroes (formerly VESAP for Belize) is unique and different from other charitable organizations. We are dedicated to providing equipment, training, and technical expertise to the BNFS in order to develop a strategic plan that addresses present and future needs of a growing and developing country. We adapt the old adage that it is important to teach a man how to fish; however, until that man becomes good at the art of fishing on his own, we will help to feed him. In addition to providing needed equipment and training, the organization will assume a mentoring role and provide coaching advice as the BNFS progresses in its path of excellence in public safety that was only thought to exist in industrialized nations.
As a former member of the BNFS, the founder, Archibald “Mac” McFarlane, made a vow that upon his relocation to the United States, he would assist the department to become better equipped, better trained, and proactive in its preventative measures to ensure the public remains safe. This organization will help him to keep this promise.
MEET THE BOARD of DIRECTORS
ARCHIBALD “Mac” MCFARLANE
FOUNDER/PRESIDENT
Archibald “Mac” McFarlane is currently a Firefighter/Medic with Hanover Fire & EMS. Mac is a native of Belize, a small Caribbean country in the heart of Central America, where he served in the Belize National Fire Service for ten years before migrating to the United States. Upon settling in Richmond, Virginia, he continued his career in the fire service for the past seventeen years, and has dedicated the last eight and a half years to the Hanover Fire & EMS Department.
As a firefighter in Belize, Mac has always been committed to public safety and to improving the services provided by the Belize National Fire Service (BNFS). As the department’s First Training Officer, he underwent training provided by various fire departments abroad and was tasked with developing the BNFS firefighting programs. Even after he migrated to the U.S., he continued on this path. After he completed the Chesterfield Fire & EMS Academy, he requested and was granted approval for two members of the Belize National Fire Service to undergo Chesterfield’s Fire & EMS Recruit School #30. Over the years, Mac has acquired various firefighting equipment from Virginia that has been shipped to Belize as a donation, in his personal capacity. It is from this staunch passion and commitment that he decided in 2017 to form Belize Heroes (formerly VESAP for Belize), with community support, and with a dream of expanding and formalizing this work for a greater impact on safeguarding lives in Belize.
In addition to assisting the Belize National Fire Service, since living in the U.S., Mac also furthered his education, obtaining an Associates Degree in Fire Science, and two Bachelor’s degrees – one in Human Resources with a minor in Leadership from the University of Richmond, and the other in Nursing Science from South University. Mac is a Registered Nurse and, on his off days from the Hanover Fire & EMS Department, works part-time as an Emergency Room Nurse with HCA Swift Creek Free Standing Emergency Department