North Wales port’s gift of a fire engine will save lives in war-torn Ukraine

An aid worker who survived a devastating missile attack in Ukraine says the donation of a fire engine to his charity by a north Wales business will save lives.

Karol Swiacki, who is founder of Bournemouth-based charity Ukraine Relief, headed to Flintshire for the handover of the fully operational fire truck which has been donated by Port of Mostyn managing director Jim O’Toole.

It was inherited by the Port of Mostyn when the company bought the adjoining 45-acre former Warwick International site as part of its expansion plan to build a new berth to cater for the next generation of much larger floating offshore wind turbines.

The 2001 machine – with just 40,000 miles on the clock – will now be transported to the war-torn city of Kryvyi Rih where there is a desperate shortage of fire engines, ambulances and other life-saving equipment.

Devastation

Polish-born Mr Swiacki has seen first-hand the devastation faced by the people in Ukraine.

In March this year he survived a missile strike on a hotel in Kryvyi Rih in which several people were killed and dozens of others – including children – were injured.

He said: “We were downstairs in the restaurant when the missile hit and it was terrifying. There was smoke everywhere and we had to find an escape route to safety. Had we been upstairs we would almost certainly have been killed. The hotel was destroyed and we were very lucky to get out alive.

“Having seen first-hand what the people of Ukraine are facing I can honestly say that donations like this are priceless.

“This equipment is really needed and this can be used to save so many lives. There is a real shortage of this equipment, so this will make such a difference.

“The people of Ukraine are suffering more and have more problems than we realise.

“Every single gift such as this donation goes a long way and gives those people hope that people around the world care.

“It is our duty to stand with them and show that we care.”

Mr Swiacki added: “This will bring hope to so many people for years to come.”

Hope

Mr O’Toole said that he felt honoured to help the people of Ukraine.

He added: “You see so much devastation on the news and can’t begin to imagine what the people caught up in it are going through.

“We didn’t really have a use for the engine so we decided to donate it to a charity who could make use of it and we are happy that we are able to do something to help those in need.

“We hope this gift from the people of Mostyn will give hope to those caught up in this awful war.”

Weeks of work has gone into preparing the fire engine for handover, complicated by a lack of keys to start and move the vehicle which led Mr O’Toole to call on the help of a local locksmith.

Thanks to the persistence of Matthew Barton-Jones, of Prestatyn-based Locked Out North Wales, the fire engine is now fully up and running.

Matthew said: “It was quite a challenge to find out the key profile. I had to contact the original vehicle builder and Volvo Europe to get the answers I needed. With a lot of work back and to we got there in the end. I was determined to get it done!

“I am happy to have been able to play a part in getting this engine to to those who need it most.”

Ukraine Relief Trustee Alastair Young handed over gifts and certificates of appreciation to Mr O’Toole and his team following the handover in Mostyn on Friday.

He said: “Emergency vehicles have been damaged and destroyed in Ukraine and the Government just does not have the money to replace them so there is a real shortage.

“This engine will be appreciated so much and will help to keep people caught up in a tragic situation safe.

“It is an incredible gift and will do so much good for some many people.”

The engine is expected to make its journey from North Wales to Ukraine on a low loader in the next few weeks.

Mr Swiacki said: “We are waiting for quotes on the transportation. If there is anyone who could help us with the journey we would love to hear from them.”