Firefighters in Austin and in Nicaragua can now say they share a special, international honor.

Local Rotary Club members Kathy Stutzman and her daughter, Shannon Stutzman, recently returned from Nicaragua, where they took retired gear from the Austin Fire Department as a donation.

Fire Chief Mickey Healey sent an Austin Fire Department patch with them to give to the commander of the department. Kathy said the Nicaraguan commander was moved nearly to tears when they gave him the patch.

“He thanked us for this huge international honor,” Kathy said.

According to Kathy, the firefighters in Nicaragua tore the patches off their own uniforms so she and Shannon could bring them back to the Austin firefighters.

Rotary Club President Brad Bergstrom said the symbolism behind the gesture is a rather big deal.

“That’s quite a significant piece because that’s part of who they are,” he said. “We made the world a better place with this donation.”

The donation included 45 pairs of gloves, 12 pairs of boots and five jackets. Healey has previously said the gear is pricey, but the AFD tries to replace some gear every few years to keep it up to date.

The Stutzmans and Bergstrom presented Healey with the Nicaraguan firefighters’ patches at Monday night’s City Council meeting. There was still thread hanging from the patches where the men tore them from their clothing.

“I’ve seen the need (in Nicaragua),” Shannon said. “The fact we could physically do something right now and seeing seven strong guys be overwhelmed with emotion … it was amazing.”