TWO fire engines are being donated by the Jersey Fire and Rescue Service to help firefighters in Ukraine deal with the impacts of the Russian invasion.
The engines will be driven to Poland by six firefighters, who will leave Jersey next Monday. They will board a ferry to Portsmouth before crossing to Europe.
Firefighters who work at Jersey Airport have also donated protective clothing and medical supplies.
Richard Wilson, a firefighter who has helped support the initiative, said: ‘We’ve recently invested in new fire appliances for the service, so I approached the senior leadership team to see if the two older appliances might be available for donation to Fire Aid, the charity organising help for Ukrainian firefighters.
‘It was quickly agreed that we could donate the vehicles, and work started to get them ready for the journey to Poland, where they will be handed over to authorities who will arrange the onward deployment into Ukraine.’
Paul Brown, chief fire officer, added: ‘The commitment and offers of support from our firefighters to assist in this initiative has been outstanding and we are pleased to do anything we can to help Ukraine’s firefighters during this very difficult time.’
The firefighters, who have all volunteered their time, are Luke Burton, Matt Coote, John Richardson, Richard Wilson, Brian Brown and Graham Stokes.
