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| The group will train on breathing apparatus, petrochemical fires and water rescue to over 50 firefighters |
Two Dundee Airport firefighters are to make a 3,000 mile round trek across Europe in a bid to share their lifesaving skills with firefighters in Bosnia.
Watch Manager Gary Johnstone and airport fire fighter Lucas Belina will join two other fire fighters from International Fire and Rescue Association (IFRA), a Scottish based charity which equips and trains emergency services personnel across the globe.
The group will leave Dundee on Saturday 18 May, driving to Newcastle where they will board a ferry from Amsterdam. From there, they will drive across Europe through the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Slovenia and Croatia before arriving in the town of Cazin, in north west Bosnia, close to the border with Croatia.
Over the next two weeks, the group will train over 50 firefighters from towns and cities across the region, providing specialist training involving breathing apparatus, road traffic collisions, petrochemical fires and water rescue.
The group will also provide lifesaving equipment for their Bosnian colleagues, some of which was donated by airport operator HIAL.
This is Gary Johnstone’s sixth mission with IFRA and his first as mission commander. Gary said: “We have been invited by the Mayor of Cazin, a town in north west Bosnia, and will be working with firefighters from a number of towns and cities in the local area. I will be sharing my knowledge as a breathing apparatus instructor, first aid and trauma training provider and water rescue technician, skills developed during my time at Dundee Airport and as a local authority firefighter.”
“Personally this is my sixth mission for the charity, having previously travelled to Paraguay, Argentina and Albania. For Lucas, this will be his first mission with the charity. We are both looking forward to the challenge and are delighted with the support we have received from Dundee Airport and HIAL.”
