The Fire Brigades Union Scotland’s current international humanitarian project is to deliver fire and rescue equipment to the Nablus Fire Dept. The kit and equipment will be taken on two fire appliances from Dundee to Nablus through Israel.
The fire engines, a Volvo WTL and Volvo FST, equipment and kit include:
20 Sabre Centurion breathing apparatus, 150 sets of Bristol fire kit, 80 Pacific fire helmets, 80 pairs of leather fire boots, 100 pairs of fire gauntlets.
The Fire Brigades Union Nablus project leaves Tayside Fire and Rescue HQ, Blackness Rd, Dundee Scotland on Monday 3rd October at 07.00. It aims to deliver life saving fire kit and equipment to The Nablus Municipality Fire Department on two fire appliances bought by the FBU with donations from FBU members throughout the UK.
The project team will drive from Dundee stopping in Edinburgh for a ministerial send off at the Scottish Parliament on 3rd October meeting at 09.30 for 10.00 departure. The journey will take the project team on to Newcastle DFDS Ferry Terminal at 14.00 on 3 October where FBU President Alan McLean will give the project team support on their departure from the UK to Holland at 17.00.
The appliances will then drive through Europe crossing the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Serbia, Macedonia and on to Greece by the 10th 0ctober to ferry the appliances and equipment to the Israeli port of Haifa where they will arrive on the 13th. The FBU will hope that the Israeli Authorities have responded positively to requests for safe passage to be shown and that the equipment can be delivered to the Nablus firefighters.
The Scottish firefighters also intend to meet Israeli firefighters.
Support for the project has come from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Scottish Government, TUC, STUC and individual MSPs, MPs and Dundee City Council. With assistance from the UK Ambassador in Tel Aviv the FBU again call on the Israeli Authorities to respect this humanitarian aid project.
The Fire Brigades Union previously sponsored a visit to the UK of eight members of the Municipality of Nablus Fire Department in October and November of 2009. The eight received specialist fire training in the north of England and at the Scottish Fire Service College at Gullane. The Nablus 8 visited their twin city of Dundee and were afforded a civic reception by the Lord Provost.
All the costs have been met by money raised by FBU members. Those firefighters delivering the equipment are all taking annual leave to enable them to do so.
House of Commons Early Day Motion 2152 has been signed by 35 MPs:
That this House supports the plan by the Fire Brigades Union in Scotland to drive two retired fire appliances from Dundee to Nablus in the Palestinian territories later in 2011, in order to deliver much needed fire safety equipment and two serviceable fire appliances to benefit the people of Nablus; and calls on the government of Israel to allow these fire appliances and the Scottish firefighters to reach their destination unimpeded.
Scottish Parliament Motion S4M-00811 – Joe FitzPatrick (Dundee City West) (Scottish National Party ) : Fire Brigades Union Scotland to deliver firefighting kit to Nablus, Dundee’s Twin City. That the Parliament welcomes the announcement by the Scottish Fire Brigades Union that it intends to drive two retired fire engines and equipment from Dundee to Nablus in Palestine in October 2011; notes that the planned route is via Europe, Turkey, Lebanon and Israel; recalls that, in late 2009, the union successfully ran a three week training programme for eight members of the Nablus Fire Department, which was supported by the Scottish Government, the Scottish Fire Service College in Gullane and the fire and rescue services of Lothian and Borders and Tayside; acknowledges the efforts of the Dundee Nablus Twinning Association in raising funds to support this project; believes that this will provide much-needed support that will be of significant benefit to the people of Nablus; calls on the Israeli Government to allow the vehicles to reach their destination unimpeded, and looks forward to forging a productive and valuable relationship between Dundee and Nablus in the years to come.
Supported by: Jamie Hepburn, Linda Fabiani, Christina McKelvie, John Pentland, Bill Kidd, Sandra White, Patricia Ferguson, James Kelly, David Torrance, Roderick Campbell, Kevin Stewart, Maureen Watt, Dennis Robertson, Adam Ingram, Elaine Murray, Gil Paterson, Jackie Baillie, George Adam, Hugh Henry, Fiona McLeod, Richard Lyle, Mark Griffin, Sarah Boyack, Neil Findlay, Joan McAlpine, Paul Wheelhouse, Claudia Beamish, David Stewart, John Finnie, Mike MacKenzie, Stuart McMillan, Humza Yousaf, Anne McTaggart, Drew Smith, Richard Simpson, Richard Baker, Mark McDonald, Jenny Marra
