Four fire engines from West Yorkshire will be donated to Ukraine to help deal with the devastation caused by the Russian invasion.
Councillors from across West Yorkshire agreed to donate the engines at a meeting of West Yorkshire Fire Authority on Thursday.
A further two engines will be sent to UK charities which support veterans.
Members of the Authority were told that the service was in the process of replacing 58 of its older vehicles. 10 will be kept for training, and others auctioned off.
But the services planned to donate some of the vehicles to help fire services in Ukraine.
Friday’s meeting was told that if the donation was approved, the vehicles would be sent over in early April.
Two other engines will be donated to Brooklands Museum Volunteer Fire Service and South East Fire and Rescue – a volunteer group made up of military veterans, former, and serving emergency service personnel.
Originally six engines were due to be sent to Ukraine in April, but logistics meant only four could be sent by West Yorkshire this Spring.
The remaining two will be ring fenced to be sent at a future date if needed.
The donation is expected to cost the fire service around £65,000 in potential lost earnings from the auction of the vehicles.
A report to members said: “The Ukraine State Emergency Service has been under significant pressure since the current conflict began in February 2022.
“To date, 396 fire stations and 1,676 fire vehicles have been destroyed, with 91 firefighters killed and a further 349 injured.
“In the same period, the work of Ukrainian firefighters has grown significantly in response to the ongoing destruction of property, with approximately 217,000 buildings destroyed or damaged and 5,000 people rescued from fires and collapsed buildings.”
Glynn Richardson, head of transport, said: “There would be a modest reduction in income, but in this instance the good these vehicles could do and the impact on communities in Ukraine will outweigh any revenue losses for us.”
Councillor Cahal Burke (Lib Dem, Kirklees) questioned whether similar support had been offered to other war torn countries, and added: “We’re asking our constituents to pay more (tax) when we’re giving away vehicles that could raise £65,000.”
Chief Fire Officer John Roberts said in the past the service had provided support to countries across the globe, including Ghana and Montenegro.
Councillor David Hall (Cons, Kirklees) said: “I support this wholeheartedly. It is the right thing to do.
“It sends the right message to Ukraine, and I think this decision will be very popular with the public. If any member of the public doesn’t like it, they can ring me up and I’ll tell them the reasons this is a good thing to do.”
Members approved the donation.
By: Chris Young, LDRS
