Two fire engines that were replaced by newer models earlier this year, have arrived in the city of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania where they will be given to firefighters in the region to respond to incidents in and help save lives.
The vehicles were withdrawn from service last month before the keys were passed over to FireAid who shipped them across to the African country where they arrived last week.
FireAid is an alliance of organisations and services with a mutual interest in providing ethical and sustainable donations of fire and rescue aid and training to countries facing the greatest challenges.
HIWFRS Director of Corporate Services, Matt Robertson said:
“We are fortunate to be able to provide all the tools and training our firefighters need to make their jobs as safe as possible.
“By providing these redundant vehicles to FireAid we know that they will continue to be used to save lives out in Tanzania.
“The role of a firefighter can be dangerous, particularly without the vehicles, equipment and training which FireAid supplies around the world.”
The Volvo appliances were built in Scotland and first arrived in Hampshire back in 2001 where they carried a variety of fire and rescue equipment, carrying 400 gallons of water.
One of the fire engines was initially based in Basingstoke before acting as a reserve vehicle covering Hampshire, whilst the other engine responded to calls from Fareham, then Hayling Island, before being a reserve appliance on the Isle of Wight.
Previously two HIWFRS firefighters joined a FireAid and NFCC convoy to deliver life-saving equipment and medical supplies to rescue workers in Ukraine.
Cosham firefighter Storms Menri also worked with the charity to help deliver vital firefighting gear to teams in Ghana.