AN old fire engine from Herefordshire, driven by a firefighter from the county, has been part of a huge convoy of trucks destined for Ukraine.
As Ukraine continues to fight the war started by Russia, with shelling destroying buildings across the Eastern European country, Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service (HWFRS) was among those to step in to offer support.
After a request from the Home Office and National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC), all UK fire services were asked to donate any equipment and vehicles that were due to be replaced, decommissioned or disposed of, to Ukraine’s Firefighters.
As a result, HWFRS donated a fire engine that had recently been removed from the fleet at end of life, and several tonnes of spare or end of life equipment to help firefighters in Ukraine deal with the impacts of the Russian invasion of their country.
The equipment was loaded on pallets and sent ahead last week and the fire engine, which was used in Ross-on-Wye, left early on Friday morning en-route to Kent with 21 other vehicles donated by UK Fire Services.
The huge 22-vehicle convoy then continued onwards to Poland through France and Germany, with watch commander Mark Andrews from Herefordshire one of those making the trip.
Station Commander Paul Roberts from our Training Centre and Watch Commander Mark Andrews from Herefordshire (West District) were in the convoy heading to Eastern Europe. Picture: HWFRS
Area Commander Ade Elliott, the service’s assistant director assets who has helped put together the HWFRS relief support to Ukraine said: “The Hereford and Worcester Fire Authority continually invests in new fire engines for the service, which this year has resulted in one older fire engine being available for donation to this worthy cause.
Chief fire officer Jon Pryce added: "The commitment and offers of support from our staff 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.
"I'm proud that HWFRS has donated a fire engine and a considerable amount of surplus or end of life equipment, with two of our firefighters driving over to Europe to deliver it."
Watch Commander Mark Andrews from Herefordshire with the equipment being donated to help those in Ukraine. Picture: HWFRS
He added: “I’d like to thank station commander Paul Roberts from our training centre and watch commander Mark Andrews from Herefordshire (west district), who volunteered to make the long and tiring journey to Poland.
“This has been a superb joint effort by many of our staff and I’m pleased that we have been able to do our bit to help the NFCC and national charity Fire Aid.
"It will be a long journey, but I have every confidence that the staff we’ve selected will do a great job in representing HWFRS."
The HWFRS team will hand over the trucks and equipment to Polish firefighters, and provide some familiarisation training on their use, before flying back to the UK.
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