A group of Edmonton firefighters will soon travel to Ukraine to bring equipment and help train first responders.
A local charity, Firefighters Aid Ukraine (FFAU), has gathered a group of translators and firefighters to share life-saving techniques with their Ukrainian counterparts in the new year as the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues.
This group teaches a modified version of the NATO standard tactical combat casualty care course. This is important, says volunteer Stephen Ferry, as many new Ukrainian first responders stepped up to serve for the first time when the conflict began.
Ferry, now a firefighter and former military doctor who has served in Afghanistan and Iraq, says the course is structured so that the first participant can be trained and then the others.
“It’s like a training model for trainers,” he explained. “We show them how to do it, and then show others how to do it.”
One of these key skills is a program called Stop The Bleed. It focuses on stopping severe bleeding after a traumatic event in public.
“If you can’t control a fatal hemorrhage, especially in traumatic cases, there’s nothing else to worry about,” Ferry added.
The group met in Edmonton on Saturday to practice teaching and working with translators.
“[It’s] of a dry run to make sure our presentation makes sense, that our linguists have the right phrasing so that we can present the right language to our target audience, who are real Ukrainian firefighters and police It’s like,” Ferry said.
“You just have to be patient and stay away from medical jargon and teach what needs to be taught,” he shared.
Firefighter Aid Ukraine prepares for next year’s training mission by holding a rehearsal in Edmonton on Saturday, December 10, 2022 (CTV News Edmonton/Amanda Anderson).
The group has several Ukrainian newcomers who have volunteered to return to their hometowns and work as translators.
FFAU’s communications manager, Nikki Booth, said they were still raising money to cover travel costs and buy educational materials to leave behind in Ukraine.
“What we want is $50,000 or $60,000,” Booth said.
“I think everyone knows that first responders are like family and being in another country doesn’t change that,” she added. There is passion and heart on both sides to help.”
FFAU was established in 2014 and has shipped over 209 tons of aid to Ukraine, including 89 tons before the Russian invasion began.
FFAU Volunteer Director Kevin Royle visited Ukraine 10 years ago and found that many first responders operate without proper equipment and training.
“When I got home, I knew I had to do something,” Royle recalls. “So we started collecting equipment and sending it to Ukraine.”
That need is growing, he says, amidst Russian artillery and missile attacks.
“This allows first responders and firefighters to do their jobs more efficiently and effectively,” said Royle. “This will allow them to return safely to their families.
“It’s not just the equipment, but there is a real thirst for knowledge that comes with using that equipment.”
Kim Nana moved to Canada with her husband about 11 months ago.The rest of her family is still there. Even after settling into her life in Edmonton, Kim still wanted a way to help her friends and family, and FFAU provided her with the perfect opportunity to serve, she says.
“I feel like you’re doing something not just for Ukraine, but for the community you live in now,” she told CTV News Edmonton.
“I don’t have to be in danger on the battlefield because I wanted to. And he said we can do more here. That’s great.”
For donations or more information, please visit the Firefighter Aid Ukraine website.
