Shoreline’s Fire Chief Joins Global Impact on Mission to Tanzania

Fire Chief Mark Bunje.

Shoreline’s Fire Chief, Mark Bunje, is taking his experience and knowledge in public health and safety to another part of the world for two weeks this fall. He plans to join the Global Impact Tanzania Project as a volunteer, and is urging others to consider being part of this humanitarian effort as well. He will work alongside students and faculty from the Seattle Community College District, the sponsors of the program, healthcare practitioners and other community members – who are committing themselves to service as part of their education and commitment to lifelong learning.

Bunje became Fire Chief in 2010, after 25 years with Shoreline Fire Department. “After many years of service in my own communities, I have a strong desire to reach out and assist people in a global effort,” Bunje says. “I support Global Impact’s focus on clean water, basic medical care and sustainable food production technology around the world. I want to put my skills to use with hands-on, practical help and personal contact with people from other cultures who need this assistance.”

Global Impact’s Tanzania Project needs volunteers who can assist in local hospitals and orphanages, where AIDS has taken a huge toll. Others may work with local farmers on sustainable farming techniques, or with local populations on providing safe drinking water.

Chief Bunje is a perfect example of the ideal volunteer, according to Global Impact recruiters. He has a background in firefighting, rescue, emergency medicine, industrial technology and marine engineering. He was also a general contractor for over 20 years. But his most important attribute? His desire to help and make a difference in the world. Global Impact volunteers are needed in so many areas that everyone has a skill or knowledge they can contribute. Bunje says he plans to join other trips in the years to come: to Peru, Vietnam and India.

Global Impact is Seattle Community College District students, faculty and staff, partnering with Seattle-area medical, educational and service-oriented community organizations to deliver health care and volunteer service in developing countries.  Global Impact volunteers make a real difference in the lives of people in developing countries. In return, the lives of volunteers are enriched by the simple act of serving others — and learning to see the world from a different perspective. This experience is life-changing.

--Shoreline Fire