Thanks to the cooperation of four Swiss organisations, it was possible to hand over a chemical weapon vehicle with excellent equipment to the Ukrainian civilian population at the beginning of September.
When Hansjürg Hess from the ‘Hansjürg Hess Humanitarian Foundation’ (3HF) learnt that a 32-year-old chemical fire engine was being replaced with a new one in the canton of Glarus and was up for sale, he immediately knew that the decommissioned chemical fire engine should be given a second life in Ukraine. In a country that has been at war for over 2.5 years, good vehicles - especially emergency vehicles - are urgently needed. Older vehicles in particular, which can usually still be repaired by the owners themselves, are welcomed with a kiss on the hand.
However, the project was too big for 3HF alone, so Hansjörg Hess used his contact with Andriy Maltsev from the SWITLO association. SWITLO quickly became active and collected enough donations through private channels within a short space of time to be able to purchase the MOT-approved used vehicle.
Organisations from four cantons
The two organisations SWITLO and 3HF agreed that the vehicle should be brought to Ukraine with the best possible equipment. The two organisations ‘engagiert mit Herz’ (emH) and ‘Helfen mit Kopf Herz und Hand’ (KHH) were therefore asked for help. Within a few weeks, the four organisations from the cantons of Glarus, Aargau, Lucerne and Zug were able to equip the vehicle with high-quality equipment thanks to many volunteers and generous sponsors. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Brandschutz Ettiswil, Growag Grosswangen, Taillens Lausanne and all other sponsors.
In action for disaster relief
Equipped with protective suits, firefighting gloves, boots, helmets, safety goggles as well as nozzles, fans and many other valuable devices, the vehicle was sent on its 2,500 km journey
to south-eastern Ukraine on 4 September 2024. A private driver and a young Ukrainian woman, who accompanied him as an interpreter, took the chemical fire engine from Bremgarten to Zaporizhia. In Zaporizhia, the vehicle is now being used for disaster relief throughout the oblast.
Delivery of further relief supplies planned
The four organisations will continue to bring relief supplies to Ukraine in the future. The emH association has been travelling with three to four vans approximately every 6-8 weeks since March 2022 and is planning its 21st trip in December 2024. SWITLO has already sent over 60 lorries to Ukraine and will be transporting even more goods for the chemical and fire services, among others, in another aid transport in autumn. Thanks to local contacts, both organisations know exactly what is needed in the war-torn country.
You can find more information and ways to support the organisations at www.switlo.ch and www.engagiert-mit-herz.ch.
Together they loaded the chemical fire engine before its journey to Ukraine (from left): Charly Regez from KHH, Mike Daichik, Andriy Maltsev and Roman Vovk from SWITLO, Rita Regez from KHH and Rita Brusa from emH.
Thanks to generous sponsors and donors in kind, the vehicle could be equipped with high-quality material.
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