Port Hardy Fire Rescue is donating about $50,000 worth of gear to firefighters in Ukraine. As the Russian invasion drags on, folks in Ukraine need support to keep defending their home. And they need gear.
Bombs do a lot of damage to a city. But firefighters can help lessen the impact by putting out fires before they spread. That is, if they have the proper gear to do so.
Al Siebring, the Mayor of North Cowichan, kicked things off. He has a personal connection to Odessa on the southwest coast of Ukraine. He put out a call to towns on VanIsle to gather fire-fighting equipment they can no longer use.
Port Hardy’s Mayor, Dennis Dugas, thought that was a great idea. He talked with Port Hardy Fire Rescue.
“It’s been fantastic,” Dugas told the North Island Eagle. “It was a huge amount of stuff.”
Seven members of Port Hardy Fire Rescue spent a weekend digging through their gear. According to Fire Chief Brent Borg, they are sending seventeen sets of turnout gear, seventeen pairs of boots, six helmets, along with gloves and other accessories.
In North America, fire fighting gear officially expires after ten years. But Borg says the donated gear still has a lot of life left.
Borg told the North Island Eagle that donating the equipment “felt good.”
“Hopefully we can do our little bit to help them. I just can’t imagine what they’re going through, and the tragedies are unbelievable. It’s nothing I ever thought I’d see in my lifetime,” Borg said.
VanKam Freightways Ltd. donated shipping to Vancouver. From there, a volunteer organization in Alberta is organizing freight to Ukraine.
Port Hardy Fire Rescue has donated good quality used gear in the past. Last year they made a big donation to Firefighters Without Borders.
