NEW ROCHELLE, NY — The New Rochelle Fire Department loaded a van today with used gear that will be sent to Poland and then onto Ukraine.
The donated equipment includes several sets of used bunker gear, including 30 coats, 48 pairs of pants, 30 pairs of boots, as well as 80 Nomex firefighting hoods and 100 SCBA air-pack masks.
“Fire departments are finding whatever gear they can get together and sent to our brothers and sisters in Ukraine to help them,” said New Rochelle Fire Chief Andrew Sandor. “They’re doing what we do here basically fighting fires, helping people in bad spots only they’re obviously doing a lot higher volume of work, and they’re doing it under more adverse conditions than we are here in New Rochelle, receiving mortar fire and live rounds as they try to put fires out and dig people out of rubble.
“We’re just trying to do our small part here.”
A Firefighter in Clifton, N.J., originally from Ukraine, is collecting badly needed firefighting gear to send on cargo flights to Poland. Westchester County has designated one of the regional fire coordinators to be in charge of Westchester’s collections. The Polish fire service has been secured to ensure donations are transported to the Ukrainian border and received by representatives of Ukraine’s Fire and Emergency Services Ministry.
Ukrainian firefighters are being killed in the line of duty daily, taking small arms, mortar and artillery bombardments as they try to put out fires and rescue civilians from the rubble.
Chief Sandor was joined by FF Marstus Hewitt, Capt. Brett Hendrie and Ret. FF Mike Walsh, and Lt. Shawn Bostick.