General Corps of Volunteer Firefighters of Peru

Company No. 1

The Company "Chalaca" No. 1 was established by Britons residing in Peru through a request made to the municipal government, with Arturo (Arthur) M. Wholly and Enrique J. Prunier serving as the company's president and first secretary, respectively. The company put out its first fire on January 8, 1861, an event that took place at the stores owned by L. Sacón and J. Carbone in Peligro (today Castilla) Street. It merged with the Unión Social Club in 1868, being re-inaugurated under the name "Unión Chalaca" on July 26. Its current headquarters, located at 2 de Mayo 375, were inaugurated by Manuel Prado Ugarteche on December 5, 1961.^[11]

Companies No. 2, 3 & 4

Companies No. 2 ("Roma"), 3 ("France") and 4 ("Lima") were established by local residents in response to a call by Pablo Antonio Salinas, then mayor of Lima, who anticipated the arrival of the Spanish Navy to Callao following their bombardment of Valparaíso due to the then-ongoing war. The three companies served on the Peruvian side at the Battle of Callao and later played an important role during the War of the Pacific.^[12]

Company "Roma" No. 2 was established by Italian residents of Lima in Barrios Altos at the Convent of Santo Tomás de la Santísima Trinidad on April 15, under the direction of Emilio Longhi, described as the "dean" of the firefighting companies of the city and occupying its current building in October 1891.^[13] Giovanni Battista (Juan Bautista) Berninzoni was the first member of the company to be killed in action, dying due to a nighttime fire at La Merced, a convent at Filipinas Street, on December 10, 1870. The fire had been caused by a candle lit by friar Pedro Solís, and caused the collapse of the convent's façade, an event that mortally wounded Berninzoni.^[14]

Company "France" No. 3 was established by French residents of Lima six days later under the same circumstances, and headed by Theodore Wattecamps. Its second headquarters at the Plazuela del Teatro served as a hospital for Nicolás de Piérola's "National Coalition" during the Peruvian Civil War of 1894–1895. It moved to its current headquarters at Mogollón Street in 1935.^[15]

Company "Lima" No. 4 was established as the "Bomba Municipal de Lima" under the same circumstances, and composed of Peruvians in its entirety. Its first member to die was Antonio Alarco Espinosa, who was killed in action during the 1866 battle of Callao while serving at La Merced, a battery tower in La Punta.^[16] This company, sponsored by the Municipal Government, ceased to exist following the battle, after which the same founding members established another company under the same name.^[17]

Creation

The General Corps of Volunteer Firefighters of Peru (CGBVP) was formally created following an assembly in Huacho on December 2, 1953, with Orestes del Sante Molfino serving as its first Commander-General.^[1] A periodical, the El Bombero, began publication in May 1957, serving as the institution's official magazine until July 1970, when it reached its 30th issue and ceased publication.^[18]

On July 26, 1957, office number 34 of Málaga Santolalla Building's 12th floor—located at Tacna 543—was blessed by chaplain Alvaro Díaz (of the corps in Callao) and inaugurated as the new headquarters of the National Command of the CGBVP. The ceremony's sponsors were engineer Fermín Málaga Santolalla [es] and his wife, Mercedes Bravo, both owners of the building. At the time of the lease, Jorge E. Thornberry was interim commander, temporarily replacing José Miguel Corzo. This location was succeeded by another one located at Quilca 210, at the corner with Ocoña Street.^[19]

Law No. 27067, published on March 10, 1999, organised the corps into its current structure.^[2] The last volunteer fire department to be created prior to the 21st century was Company "Ayaviri" No. 170, created in the town of the same name in Puno on December 31, 2000.^[2] By then, the CGBVP had already moved to its current headquarters in San Isidro, with an administrative office located at a traditional building at 28 de Julio 520. By then, the location at Tacna 543 functioned as the Regional Command and the Radio-Alarm Central Office, both for the Department of Lima.^[18]

Recent history

On 18 November 2022, an Airbus A320neo operated by LATAM Airlines Perú, the country's flag carrier, collided with a fire engine during takeoff, killing two firefighters and seriously injuring a third, with injuries also taking place in the aircraft.^[20][21]

The emergency telephone number 116, assigned to the CGBVP, was briefly disabled in April 2026.^[9][22][23] Earlier that same year, its general commander had warned of a budget deficit exceeding S/. 4 billion (US$1.2 billion).^[24]

Leadership

The CGBVP is headed by a Commander-General.

Ranks

Officers of the CGBVP operate under a nine-rank system.^[37] A law establishing a reform was published in 2009, but left without effect in 2010.

More information Category, Superior Officers ...

Category	General Officers			Superior Officers		Officers			Sub-Officers
Ensign
Rank	Comandante general	General de brigada	Brigadier mayor	Brigadier	Teniente brigadier	Capitán	Teniente	Subteniente	Seccionario

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