Retired fire engines to help fight fires in Ukraine

Two retired fire engines are on their way to Ukraine where they will support firefighting efforts in the war-torn country.

During their time in Hampshire, the vehicles had been based at Basingstoke, Burley, Redbridge and Wickham, and have since been replaced by newer models.

It is the second time Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service (HIWFRS) has sent two fire engines out to Ukraine through the charity Action Beyond Words.

Actions Beyond Words deploys responders to global humanitarian crises to support key infrastructure and resolve critical issues.

Last year one of the two fire engines, which was built in Guildford and responded to incidents from several bases across the Isle of Wight, was sent to Mizhhiria.

The other appliance was crewed by teams at Winchester and Stockbridge before it started its new life crewed by retired firefighters in a rural community near to the east Ukrainian city of Zmiiv.

Chris Standley, a watch manager from Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service, was one of the organisers of last year's trip.

He travelled across Europe with a colleague to deliver the vehicles to their new station in Zmiiv, in eastern Ukraine.

Standley, who has been in the fire service for 27 years, said: "The fire service in Ukraine needs our support, and we will continue to do our bit to help.

"These strategic deliveries are coordinated with local aid organisations, local government and they save lives.

"The journey wasn't uneventful, and we did our bit to help make life safer en route.

"We were the first on the scene of a serious road traffic collision in Kyiv, providing emergency care to a casualty, and we had already stopped a grass fire beside the road going through the Carpathian mountains."