RED ZONE

By day, Dr. Jorge Chiu is a cardio thoracic surgeon. By night, he volunteers as a paramedic to the Red Zone or Zone 18 of Guatemala City, which is the epicenter of the city's violence.

Guatemala City’s metro area is the largest in Central America with a population of around 5 million people. Recent statistics reveal that it is one of the most violent cities on Earth. According to the US State Department in 2015, there were about 100 murders a week in the country of 15 million, and as many as 60 percent of Guatemalans own a gun. Put a heavily armed populace together with a region where gang warfare and drug trafficking are rampant, add a corrupt, incompetent police force along with widespread poverty and one can see the critical role of the city's volunteer first responders. The photographer has so far traveled 5 times to Guatemala City and ridden along with some of those on the emergency front lines. One such man is Dr Jorge Chiu, a trauma surgeon by day and volunteer responder by night in the Red Zone or Zone 18 of Guatemala City, which is the epicenter of the city's violence.

Dr Chiu, a native Guatemalan, went to medical school at Francisco Marroquín University, in Guatemala City, and eventually became a thoracic and cardiovascular surgeon. He did a couple stints at the famed Cleveland Clinic and lived in the US from 2003 to 2007 and from 2011 to 2012, along the way picking up training as a firefighter. Three years ago he returned to his homeland, where he spends his days as the head of the cardiovascular department at the Guatemala military medical center and his nights as the subdirector of the country’s volunteer EMT service, an unpaid position that has him responding to calls and training volunteer medics, many of whom come in with little to no medical experience.

The photographer wishes to continue this reportage that connects many intertwined and critical issues. As deportations from the US now reach peak levels and crime waves continue, the need to highlight this critical volunteer work is crucial in raising awareness to a selfless, often thankless, service.