Pedro Aihara: Who is the spokesperson for the firefighters in Brumadinho

You must have seen the face of Pedro Aihara on the news. At just 25 years old, he is responsible for communicating the details of the fire department’s operation in Brumadinho, Minas Gerais. In the middle of the mud and racing against the clock, these professionals try to find survivors and bodies of victims of the collapse of the Vale dam, which took place last Friday (25).

On Saturday (26) the last rescue of a survivor was made. The most recent bulletin of the searches, released on Tuesday (29), says that the tragedy already totals 84 dead and 276 missing. In this scenario, Pedro’s work is very delicate.

“I don’t see this here as a job and, for me, it’s not just a number. When we talk about human lives, if we have wrong information, it can have a very intense negative impact on the life of a family. So, first of all, I am aware of this responsibility. Secondly, it is a very difficult operation, because many agencies are involved. There are many data that arrive, we have to verify this data, there are many demands. People want information,” he told G1.

Holding on to nervousness and emotion is certainly also quite a task. Despite this, Pedro has been doing a great job and is being praised for it. In addition to remaining firm in communications, he always shows respect for the human nature of the operation in his speeches.

“What I do is just transmit the work of these great heroes. Those, yes, deserve all the recognition and all kinds of applause. Because, if I do a minimally well-done job, it is not my merit, but the merit of the work that is carried out by other people”.

In 2015, Pedro was also involved in the operation of the firefighters in Mariana, when a tragedy similar to this one happened. At the time, he only worked in the administrative part and not in the so-called “hot zone” – which is going to the field.

Two years later, in 2017, Pedro acted as a spokesperson in the rescue of children, teachers and employees of a day care center in Janaúba, also in Minas Gerais. At the time, the security guard at the school Gente Inocente set fire to the place and the fire killed ten children and three teachers, in addition to the security guard himself.

“It was a very difficult recognition, due to the characteristic of having children, which is a situation that affects many people, and witnessing the suffering of those families very closely, especially the mothers. As much as we are prepared to deal with it, it is something that touches our heart a lot”.

Now, in Brumadinho, Pedro says that, in addition to the emotional factor, the physical effort is also great. He is part of the team that was on board the first aircraft sent by firefighters to the scene of the tragedy, in order to follow up from the beginning. He spent the first night awake and says he now sleeps three to four hours a day.

Even so, the lieutenant claims he loves his profession. Born in Belo Horizonte, he joined the Fire Department in 2012 and, in 2016, took a disaster prevention course in Japan.

Having become a well-known face throughout Brazil, Pedro has been receiving many messages on social networks. Last Tuesday, he made a post thanking all the expressions of support.

“I do not want or deserve any kind of recognition or applause, I just want my work to be able to convey my respect and solidarity for so many people who are now suffering from such abrupt losses. May you know that every prayer and kindness received has been fuel for me to try to make myself worthy of this mission, ”she wrote.