8 minute read
STANDING SHOULDER TO SHOULDER WITH UKRAINE
Mark Drew AND Oleg Skachko
Standing shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine
By Liz Fleming
UKRAINE. THE IMAGES OF WAR, DESTRUCTION AND SUFFERING HAVE DOMINATED THE NEWS FOR MONTHS, LEAVING US SHOCKED AND SADDENED, WISHING WE COULD DO SOMETHING.
In a small town in New Jersey, firefighters Oleg Skachko and Mark Drew are doing more than just wishing. Together with their crew at the Clinton, New Jersey Fire Department and Clinton's governing bodies, they’ve
begun a monumental project to supply urgently needed bunker gear and tools to Ukrainian firefighters.
Skachko, who was born in Ukraine in 1987, immigrated with his parents to the United States in 2002 and became a firefighter in 2019. Ask him what he loves most about his job and he’ll tell you, “I love the brotherhood – the firefighting family. Walk into any firehall in the country and you know you’ll be welcomed. They’ll tell you to sit down and get you a cup of coffee. We’re all here to serve and protect and work together. Now, we’re working together to help Ukraine.”
It was almost immediately after the Russian invasion of Ukraine that Skachko heard from friends in his birth country that there was a dire need for firefighting gear. People without proper protective equipment were struggling, trying to save others from the fiery aftermath of missile strikes and bombings.
That’s when a new and powerful collaboration began in Clinton.
“I knew Oleg,” says Lieutenant Mark Drew of the Clinton Fire Department, “but we’d never actually worked the same shifts. There are over 140 people in the department and our schedules had never been the same. But I’m involved in the union and
BUNKER GEAR COLLECTED BY THE CLINTON, NEW JERSEY FIRE DEPARTMENT IS BEING SENT TO THE FRONT LINES IN UKRAINE.
so I heard about it when he came to the Department with his idea. And as soon as I heard, I wanted to help.”
The idea? To send used bunker gear to Ukraine.
The need for jackets, pants, boots, gloves, Nomex hoods, helmets, air packs (which are shipped deflated), various hand tools and medical gear such as back boards was overwhelming. Since most fire departments replace their gear at specific intervals, even if it’s still serviceable, there’s often a substantial stock of used but still-good items. That’s what Skachko saw as a tangible way to make a difference for Ukraine.
Huge indeed.
After enlisting the cooperation of their captain and the town of Clinton – the official owners of the used gear – Drew and Skachko put together a quick flyer to let other neighboring fire departments know what they were doing. It was posted on social media and went viral. Says Skachko, without a hint of irony, “It took off like wildfire!” Fire departments across the state heard about the initiative and began arriving with donations. Soon, managing the project and dealing with the mounting collection of donations became nearly a full-time job for Drew and Skachko, who were still performing their regular firefighting duties.
And then the mainstream media heard about it.
CNN did a story about the firefighters and their plan to help Ukraine and donations began to arrive almost immediately from as far away as the west coast, from Colorado, Nevada, Wisconsin, Washington State, Michigan, Ohio, Florida and even further afield. Says Drew, “We’ve been contacted by more than 300 different departments looking for information and so far, more than 200 have donated to the cause. We’ve had guys drive ten hours or more to bring us their gear.”
What began as a stream of support has morphed into a firehose blast of donations and there’s been no predicting how much
they’ll receive. On a day when Drew and Skachko were anticipating a delivery of six pallets of used bunker gear, they instead received 16. They’ve done most of the work of sorting and organizing themselves – unless they knew a particularly large shipment was coming in. At one point, when people began delivering pallets of
It took off like wildfire!”
donations (hundreds of sets of gear at once) they needed a forklift to get it off the trucks and a team of volunteers to help sort and load. It’s been an avalanche of generosity to meet an incredible need.
Drew reports that some of the most touching donations have come from the families of fallen firefighters. “It’s very difficult for them, we know,” says Drew, “and we’re very careful to be respectful. Many have told us that it helps them to know that the gear is doing so much good.”
The situation in Ukraine is terrifying, with demands on those who are living through it exceeding anything that we
can imagine. Says Drew, “The fact is, they’re seeing fires and devastation on a level few of us can even imagine. It’s very difficult to think about.”
But, says Skachko, U.S. firefighters have a special perspective, “Though it’s not the same thing, a lot of the people who gave us their gear said that for them, it’s like what we had with 9-11. We’re all firefighters, here in North America and in Ukraine, and we all feel the same pain. It doesn’t matter where the fire is…it just doesn’t matter. It bites you the same. For the guys on the front line, it’s the same. They’re in the hot zone, where the explosions are happening.”
VOLUNTEERS AND DONATIONS HAVE FLOODED IN FROM ACROSS THE UNITED STATES. (WITH THANKS TO NEW UKRAINIAN WAVE, PASAIC, N.J.)
One thing that is different in Ukraine is the number of untrained volunteers who are bravely stepping up to help when they can. And they, of course, are completely unequipped.
“We quickly realized,” says Drew, “that it isn’t just firefighters who’ll be using this gear. There are untrained people helping everywhere because the situation is so terrible. And those people have absolutely nothing to protect them. They need something…anything!”
The donated gear, though used, is very good quality: far thicker and heavier than what’s ordinarily used in Ukraine. According to NFPA regulations, bunker gear must be replaced after ten years, and at that time, damaged or worn out equipment is thrown away. But often, thanks to quality construction, the gear is still serviceable – and valuable. Skachko estimates the value of a brand new set of bunker gear at approximately $4,000 – but a good-quality used set is still worth approximately $2,200, so the value of the gifts being donated by fire departments and the cities and towns they serve around the country is substantial.
With a flood of donations pouring in, the next task was to find a way to ship it to Ukraine. Given that an average set of gear including helmet, gloves, boots, jacket and pants weighs approximately 75 pounds, the cost to ship the mountains of gear was astronomical. But even this didn’t discourage Skachko. He simply found another group of friends to bring into the mix: New Ukrainian Wave, a non-profit group based in Passaic, N.J., who were excited to be able to help in such a powerful way. They generously took on the job and most of the financial responsibility for shipping the gear which has, at the time of this publication, cost more than $250,000.
Says Drew, “New Ukrainian Wave had contacts with different shippers and they knew of ways to pack and get the gear on planes. It’s flown first to Poland and then transported overland to Ukraine where it can be distributed. We’re still partnering with New Ukrainian Wave but now work directly with the shipper, who helps to offset some costs and comes in to help us pack.”
The collections began in early March and the team of Drew and Skachko initially thought they’d wrap things up in a couple of weeks. That soon became a month, and by mid-April, Drew estimated that they had already shipped about 4,000 sets of personal protective equipment.
The arrival of those first shipments has been a true godsend. Says Drew, “We’ve already seen some photos of guys wearing our gear and that feels so good.”
Skachko agrees, “Even though the gear is used, they’re much better protected now. Being in the danger zones, having that protection is phenomenal. They couldn’t thank us enough.”
Everything collected and shipped during the first six-week push was anticipated to have been delivered to Ukraine by the end of April. That’s when Skachko and Drew took a brief pause to evaluate the needs on the ground and develop strategies to get what’s most needed to the biggest hot spots.
Says Drew, “We’ve been in touch with the Ukrainian embassy in Washington, D.C. and have information coming from them as well as from the Ukrainian National Fire Service.”
Next, Skachko is looking beyond bunker gear in hopes of providing other, much needed equipment such as flashlights and more hand tools. This time, he’s going directly to manufacturers to get donations and has had some success so far.
“I’LL JUST KEEP ASKING UNTIL WE GET WHAT WE NEED,” HE SAYS.
Despite all the hours of work and personal time they’ve already invested – really, every day for weeks on end – Drew insists they’re ready for more, “If we find that we need to reopen for more bunker gear donations, we absolutely will. We’re ready.”
Drew and Skachko are committed to helping their Ukrainian counterparts survive. Says Drew, “Their mission is the same as ours: to protect and serve the citizens of their communities. Their gear and tools may be a little different, but the mission is the same. We’re out there to help one another. This is a highlight of the fire service and it goes to show that when people are in need, we’re going to help them in whatever way we can.”
To represent the legions of U.S firefighters who’ve contributed to this cause and who are standing in solidarity with their Ukrainian colleagues, the shipments have contained a special gift – Ukrainian flags covered with badges from each of the fire departments that have contributed their support. Each stitch that holds a badge to a flag represents the unbreakable connection between firefighters, no matter where they may be.
