Meriden firefighter collects equipment for Ukraine

MERIDEN, Conn. — Meriden firefighter Konstantin Tartakovsky has collected hundreds of pairs of trousers, boots, coats, helmets, and additional for fellow firefighters in Ukraine.

Dozens of departments throughout the condition have donated products to the fireplace lieutenant.

He bought the plan right after viewing a related initiative in Canada. When he found out that would be expensive to be a component of, he uncovered a corporation in New Jersey that will ship it. He designs to supply it future week.

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“Right now I broke a person hundred sets of pants and coats for firefighting devices,” he explained Monday. “I can rather a lot pretty much outfit an overall hearth section minus the truck.”

His garage is complete of extra than one hundred coats, more than one particular hundred trousers, practically 30 helmets, 30 pairs of gloves, 30 pairs of boots, eleven rescue harnesses, two jaws of life, ten hazmat suits, and much more.

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They’ve occur from departments across the state such as South Windsor, Torrington, North Windham, and Branford.

“I know the refugees are obtaining help. I know the navy is finding assistance. But on the fire service facet, they are getting some assistance but I come to feel like in the war, the firefighters almost kind of received sidetracked and put to the facet,” he claimed.

It’s a personal initiative for him. He was born in Ukraine and put in the initial 11 several years of his existence there right before going to the United States. He nevertheless has relatives above there who has to deal with the impacts of war day-to-day. 

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“It pains me to see what’s taking place there. Ukraine was a region that was at the time on the up and up,” he mentioned.

The machines is far more than ten many years aged, meaning it can be outdated by United States criteria but he suggests they are however usable, especially in war.

He originally set out to collect a pair of dozen sets of coats and trousers.

“It makes me feel superior. Beyond the Connecticut community, they phone the fire department a significant brotherhood. And it essentially shows. I have people I have in no way satisfied ahead of achieving out to me,” he said. “It warms my heart to see all people appear jointly, specially in a tiny state like this.”

Some of the tools could just take a month to get to Ukraine. He hopes to uncover a way to support get it all from his dwelling to New Jersey considering that it will never suit in his truck any more.

The firefighter, who has been with Meriden Hearth for 11 years, says he will accumulate much more if there is a need for it.

“I hope that just one more firefighter’s secured. That he’s able to do his work,” he stated.

Tony Black is a multi-media journalist at FOX61 Information. He can be attained at [email protected]. Stick to him on Fb, Twitter and Instagram. 

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