Princeton Cop From Nicaragua Helps Donate Fire Truck to Homeland in Need

Princeton, NJ -- Princeton Police Officer Jorge Narvaez grew up in Nicaragua, but his family sent him to America when he was a senior in high school to escape a country ravaged by the Nicaraguan Revolution.

Narvaez didn’t realize why he was coming to a brand new country to seek brand new opportunities alone (his mother and sister would join him in America later in life), but he is grateful for the opportunity he had.

“The civil wars ended in the 1990s. The opposition still has no voice, but there are no outbursts of violence,” Narvaez explained. “There are demonstrations and it is still a poor country. The average cop in Nicaragua makes $200 a month, and if you make $400 a month, it’s a big deal. There are areas that still have no running water and no electricity. When the leftist party took over, that was all supposed to change, but it hasn’t. Hopefully, one day it will. It makes me appreciate what I have here.”

He also enjoys helping people, and has taken the chance to give back to his homeland.

Narvaez has worked with the Princeton Fire Department and retired Princeton Fire Chief Ray Wadsworth to help donate a fire truck to Nicaragua.

The truck is from 1982, and was acquired by Wadsworth the year he was fire chief.

“There’s nothing wrong with the fire engine,” said Wadsworth, who was a firefighter in Princeton for 54 years. “It doesn’t have a closed-in cab on it.”

Wadsworth explained it wasn’t fiscally feasible to add the built-in cab, so the fire engine was put out of service.

That’s where Narvaez entered the picture.

Narvaez works with a non-profit group known as Benemerito Cuerpo de Bomberos, Managua, Nicaragua. Through his work with the program, he’s seen just how in need his home country is.

He knew the volunteer fire department needed new equipment, and consulted Wadsworth, who had purchased the fire truck from the town for $1.

The next step was to get the truck to the country.

Narvaez, who is a Master Sergeant in the Air National Guard, worked through a federal program known as the Denton Program to arrange to have the fire truck shipped on board a C5 Galaxy Air Force Reserve cargo plane, one of the largest aircraft in the world.

Narvaez and Wadsworth will bring the fire truck to Joint Base McGuire, Dix, Lakehurst on Wednesday, Aug. 10, where the truck will be airlifted along with three other fire trucks and taken to Nicaragua.

There are three fire departments in the small country of about 6 million people, but only the the truck being donated by Narvaez and Wadsworth are going to the volunteer department.

There is also a fire department run by the government and one that exists as a non-profit.

The truck is equipped with a hose and old gear, including hats, boots, helmets and nozzles. They also included an instructional video explaining how to operate the truck.

The whole process took about a year, and is just the beginning for Narvaez and Wadsworth, who have been good friends for the last seven years and attend the same church.

“I love helping people,” Wadsworth said. “There are a lot of countries in need of things like this, and it’s good to be able to get these things and send them over there. It feels great.”

“I would like to continue doing this,” Narvaez said. “I would like to send an ambulance, a fire truck, something.

“I’ve always believed in helping others. I do it to make a difference whenever I can, because I believe that when we come to this Earth, we come with a purpose.”

Anyone who wants to help in future efforts is invited to contact Jorge Narvaez at 609-510-4222.

The attached images of Jorge Narvaez and Ray Wadsworth with the fire truck and equipment they are donating to a Nicaraguan Fire Department were provided by Jorge Narvaez.