SESHAA

A team from Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service travelled to Poland to provide humanitarian aid to a deprived town in the country.

The team of nine, who are both operational and support staff, form the Staffordshire Emergency Service Humanitarian Aid Assosciation, SESHAA. They went to Sokolow, Maloposki, Poland for the third time in two years. The purpose of the visit was to provide Sokolow Fire and Rescue Service with equipment and train them how to use it. Toys and equipment will also be provided to a special needs clinic where non operational staff will spend their time working.

Previous visits have involved training the Sokolow Fire and Rescue Service in tackling fires, however this trip will focus on water rescues, road traffic collisions and trauma care. Donated rescue cutting equipment will be taken to the community and trainers will explain and demonstrate, with the help of translators, how the equipment is to be used. As part of an ongoing commitment, elderly members of the community will also be provided with smoke detectors.

Chair of SESHAA Alf Wilson says: “Unfortunately the Fire and Rescue Service in Sokolow is not nearly as advanced with the modern equipment as our own Service. However through a number of annual trips we are helping to provide newer equipment and train the firefighters with the skills that they require to carry out efficient and effective rescues. The local community will also benefit from support provided by our non operational staff who will be visiting local clinics and nurseries.”

The team was split into two groups, the first team travelled overland on 24th April, with the equipment. Team 2 flew ouy on 27th April. The whole team stayed in Sokolow for one week.

Staffordshire Emergency Services Humanitarian Aid Association (SESHAA) was founded in 1995 and has been active in areas of the world that are affected by conflict, humanitarian or natural disaster|