On June 3, Guatemala’s Fuego Volcano erupted, unleashing lava, ash and mudflows that destroyed many villages, killed more than 100 people and forced thousands to evacuate to shelters. Located about 10 miles west of the city of Antigua, Fuego’s ash columns reached between 15-17 kilometers (~9-11 miles) above sea level and generated a state of emergency in the country.
The G4S Guatemala team successfully coordinated a rescue effort for two employees who were trapped between pyroclastic flows (a dense, destructive mass of very hot ash, lava fragments, and gases ejected explosively from a volcano and typically flowing downslope at great speed) while providing security service to a nearby poultry farm. Unfortunately, many of our employees and their families lost property in the eruption.
Immediately following the event, the G4S Guatemala team activated safety protocols to secure the safety of our clients and employees in the affected areas. The team also organized an HR-emergency response committee to purchase and gather donations to provide aid, food and medicine to affected employees and communities.
Here are some additional details of the post-disaster support provided by the G4S Guatemala team:
- Focused on providing moral and psychological support to affected employees who lost family members, establishing in a daily communications
- Provided food and basic amenities on a weekly basic with visits by G4S Managers to assist employees and their families
- Provided transportation assistance to employees to assist in the search for lost family members in the refugee shelters
Congratulations to the entire G4S Guatemala team for their commitment to their employees, communities and our values.
