FIRE AID member Blythswood Care has donated five fully equipped firefighting appliances with accompanying training to Romania following a request for assistance from several Romanian mayors.

FIRE AID member Blythswood Care has donated five fully equipped firefighting appliances with accompanying training to Romania following a request for assistance from several Romanian mayors.

The appliances were donated by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to Blythswood Care who coordinated the delivery and officially donated the vehicles to four Romanian towns: Jimbolia, Popesti, Sacele and Zlatna. The fifth vehicle was donated to Gherla Penitenciary – a maximum security prison with about 1,000 inmates – becoming the first prison in Romania to receive a fire appliance.

Gary Bennett led the team to Romania in November 2015 to carry out the project. Romanian volunteer firefighters received an intensive course in trauma care, ladders and pumps, driving, breathing apparatus, and search and rescue. To conclude the training, four teams demonstrated their new skills and knowledge.

During the team’s stay in Romania, a devastating fire occurred in Bucharest where around 50 people are thought to have lost their lives and many more were seriously injured.  

More information about Blythswood Care’s work great work in Romania can be found here: http://www.blythswood.ro/