Shropshire Star

Watch: God speed for Shropshire fire truck mission to Romania

They've been blessed with holy water – and now the hard work has started for volunteers taking three redundant fire trucks for a new working life in Romania.

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The trucks, along with two 4x4 support vehicles, left Shropshire for a five-day journey across Europe. There to see them off was the Very Reverend Canon Jonathan Mitchell, who put a good word in during prayers ahead of the journey.

The team of volunteers, both serving and retired staff from Shropshire and Merseyside Fire and Rescue Services, are travelling to Romania to donate fire equipment and provide aid.

The aid convoy will travel 1,800 miles across eight countries before reaching Transylvania, where rural areas have little fire cover. They will also continue their support of centres for children, young mums and the elderly.

Rooms at the old people's home will be decorated and the team will make preparations to build a play area for children for their next visit in October as well as pay for emergency dental treatment for one elderly resident. They have already bought TVs for all 20 bedrooms and carried out urgent repairs to make life easier for residents.

A total of four staff from Merseyside have joined the five volunteers from Shropshire, who are all members of the Shrewsbury based charity Operation Sabre.

Charity president Dr Steve Worrall, a retired Shropshire Assistant Chief Fire officer, began the campaign five years ago. He said: "It is always a humbling experience when we arrive in Romania and see how much they need this equipment which is no longer used in the UK."

"With the UK fire engines, equipment, uniform, training and education, Mures firefighters are better equipped to perform their duties more efficiently, effectively and safely.

"Everyone has given up their spare time, raised money for the effort and taken holidays for the trip. We are looking forward to helping to train volunteer firefighters to use the equipment. We also have strong links with an old people's home and children's refuge which has very little funding and where we have carried out repairs and decorations and delivered equipment to help upgrade the buildings."

The three redundant fire engines, all more than 20 years old, were formally in service in Devon, and the 4x4 support vehicles saw service in Merseyside. Operation Sabre raises funds to fully equip and transport the vehicles that also carry more than two tonnes of humanitarian aid.

This will bring to 27 the number of UK redundant fire engines the charity has delivered to Romania. There have also been several earlier aid deliveries to Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland by Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service over the past few years.

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