Royal Berkshire Fire Authority has donated a vehicle and a range of firefighting equipment to a charity partnership that works to assist the emergency response of the Gambia Fire and Ambulance Service.
The Gambia and Avon Fire Services in Partnership (GAFSIP) is a charitable trust between Avon Fire and Rescue Service and The Gambia Fire and Ambulance Service, which has been in existence since 1991. The Partnership aims to preserve and protect health in the Gambia by enabling a lifesaving and humanitarian service to benefit communities.
The vehicle donated is a Dennis Elite Water Carrier, which is a tanker that can be deployed when local water resources cannot meet the requirements of an incident. It is designed to work with either one or two pumping appliances and it is capable of carrying 8,000 litres of water or foam. In addition to the water carrier, other decommissioned, functional equipment has been donated such as light portable pumps, positive pressure ventilation fans (PPVs) and other ancillary equipment items.
Councillor Colin Dudley, Chairman of Royal Berkshire Fire Authority, and Councillor Angus Ross, Lead Member for Strategic Assets, officially handed over the equipment on behalf of Royal Berkshire Fire Authority to Avon Fire and Rescue Service, who will arrange for the equipment to be delivered to the Gambia.
Councillor Angus Ross said: ‘I am delighted that we are able to make this donation to such a worthy cause through this partnership.
‘We have a programme of investment for maintaining our front-line equipment, as set out in our Strategic Asset Investment Framework. In line with the refresh of our assets, this additional equipment is now surplus to our needs, so we are happy to pass it on for the benefit of communities living in the Gambia.’
Mick Crennell, Chief Fire Officer of Avon Fire and Rescue Service and GAFSIP Trustee, said: ‘As a Fire Authority and a Service, we are honoured and privileged to be able to have this partnership with the Gambian Fire and Rescue Service.
‘I’d like to take this opportunity to say thank you to Royal Berkshire Fire Authority for donating their water carrier and essential fire safety equipment. It is only with donations such as these that we can continue to make such a difference to communities in the Gambia.’
Councillor Colin Dudley said: ‘We hope the donation of this equipment will be of direct benefit to emergency responders in the Gambia, and it also allows us to strengthen our partnerships with other fire and rescue services, such as Avon Fire and Rescue Service, in this valuable undertaking.’
Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service runs an equipment replacement process to ensure that front-line equipment is kept up-to-date. Through donating this equipment and extending its usable life, it not only helps other fire services but it also minimises the environmental impact and avoids costly recycling processes.
The role of GAFSIP is to coordinate and facilitate the shipping of donated fire, ambulance vehicles and equipment, together with educational materials and spare parts as the need arises, as well as facilitating regular training visits.
If you would like to find out more about the charity or sponsorship, please visit www.gafsip.org. You can also follow the Charity’s activity on Twitter by following @GAFSIP2 or on Facebook – www.facebook.com/GAFSIP
