PASCACK VALLEY AREA—Fire departments in the Pascack Valley and Northern Valley have joined a mammoth undertaking in donating used firefighting gear and equipment to Ukrainian fire departments and rescue services under siege.
With Russian forces bombing key cities daily in hopes of seizing control of Ukraine, and millions of women and children fleeing the country, Ukraine’s firefighting personnel need equipment and gear desperately.
The drive, “PPE 4 Ukraine — Firefighters Helping Firefighters,” was launched by Clifton firefighter Oleg Skachko, who was born in Central Ukraine and joined the Clifton department three years ago.
He’s fielded donations from more than 100 firefighting companies from throughout New Jersey and the United States who’ve been alerted to it on social media and cable news.
The drive is sending materiel to Poland, from where it will make its way into Ukraine. It’s being powered by a crowdfunding campaign.
Assemblyman Robert Auth (R-39) said many of the 23 fire companies in his district had stepped up.
Fire departments from the Township of Washington and Park Ridge in Pascack Valley, and Closter and Old Tappan in the Northern Valley, have donated gear to the relief effort.
Clifton Fire Department Lieutenant Mark Drew is assisting departments with drop-offs of used turnout gear and medical equipment. He can be reached at (848) 207-6102 through April 1.
Drew said that much of the gear donated was nearly 10 years old, but gear still serviceable and useful to firefighters needing protective equipment.
“I couldn’t even begin to tell you who gave what but we got hundreds and hundreds of coats, boots, helmets, so much stuff that it was overwhelming,” said Drew.
The Township of Washington Volunteer Fire Department was a major donor of turnout gear, said Skachko. The department posted photos showing dozens of pairs of donated boots, helmets and jackets on its Facebook page.
(As well, the township’s police department and public affairs office organized a humanitarian donation drive powered by town volunteers. See “Local aid for Ukraine,” Pascack Press, page 1, March 28, 2022.)
Park Ridge Fire Chief Tom Lepore told Pascack Press on March 30 that his department was donating 10 sets of fire boots, coats, pants and helmets. He said they were bringing them to Clifton the next day for shipment abroad.
Soon after the collection effort started, Old Tappan’s Volunteer Fire Department donated three large boxes of used turnout gear (coats, pants, boots and gloves) to the cause.
Old Tappan Fire Chief Evan Kutzin said that two local firefighters delivered multiple boxes of gear within a week of viewing an online flier promoting the effort. Also donated were hand tools, Halligan fire hooks, straps for holding and carrying hose, and ropes, he said.
The drive will be paused on April 1 “to assess the ongoing needs of our brother and sister firefighters in Ukraine,” stated the group’s website. The website, operationmutualaidforukraine.com, offers ways to contribute to relief efforts.
The companies have been donating used and new turnout gear: gloves, coats, boots, and hard hats firefighters wear to battle fires and search for victims in burning or collapsed buildings.
Drew said 140 fire departments from throughout the U.S. have donated used gear, with about half coming from New Jersey fire departments. He said in addition to gear, responders are giving firefighter hoods, air packs, air bags for lifting heavy items, and extrication tools.
Moreover, equipment including axes, air packs, Murphy tools and sledge hammers have been donated, said Stanley Principe, a Jersey City firefighter and coordinator for Operation Mutual Aid for Ukrainian Firefighters, (aka PPE 4 Ukraine).
Skachko told Pascack Press on March 26 that donations are coming from all over the country, as word about his efforts to assist the Ukrainian firefighters spreads.
He said that nearly 1,700 sets of turnout gear were donated so far — and that the most important step was getting the donations in the hands of Ukrainian firefighters.
Skachko’s efforts went viral in early March when he wrote on Clifton Fire Department’s Firemen’s Mutual Benevolent Association Facebook page, “Help us, help them! Equipment is needed more than ever right now and FMBA 21 along with the (Clifton Fire Department) are here to answer the call!”
Principe said the effort has already shipped out about 500 pounds of gear, with help from a freight shipping company, Meest, and funding from a variety of Ukrainian nonprofits. He said some British fire companies are driving fire vehicles across Poland to donate to Ukraine.
Principe said he would be joining other New Jersey firefighters and California firefighters in traveling to Warsaw in the next few weeks and they would be traveling with the donated gear to distribution points inside Poland and possibly inside Ukraine.
Other fire gear has already been shipped to Ukraine.
Auth said most fire departments participating agreed to do an inventory of their equipment and donate as much as they can. He said Ramsey had already sent gear to Ukraine and Demarest had donated used gear and equipment to Haiti previously.
Principe said they created a T-shirt that is offered to people who make website donations to their efforts, including helping to pay shipping costs. Principe said he is also helping to spearhead a dog food donation effort called Operation Paw also listed on the website.