Firefighter's charity trip to Romania

A CITY firefighter is set to drive across Europe in a fire engine on a special mission to help his emergency service colleagues in Romania.

Davie Hume, who works as a firefighter at Edinburgh Airport, is travelling to Pielesti, a town of about 10,000 people, to deliver the fire truck and vital equipment.

The 42-year-old, who has worked as a firefighter at Edinburgh Airport for 18 years, is part of a group working for charity International Fire and Rescue Association.

The team will deliver an appliance donated by the fire service in Northumberland as well as cutting gear, water pumps and uniforms.

Mr Hume, who has been on similar trips to Bosnia, Liberia, Paraguay and Albania, said: "I have been doing this for a few years now. My first trip was to Bosnia and it was really thought provoking. I came home feeling like I had made a real difference and had helped to save lives."

Mr Hume said firefighters would travel to Pielesti - which does not currently have its own professional fire service - to help train a group of ex- soldiers.

He added: "Getting home from these trips is a strange feeling - you come back absolutely shattered. But you feel like you have done some good and it makes you appreciate what we have in this country."

David Kay, chairman of the International Fire and Rescue Association, said: "A lot of the equipment being sent has been used until relatively recently. We just received the fire appliance from Northumberland yesterday and it had been in service until then.

"In this country you pick up the phone and dial 999 and you get a brand-new fire engine and firefighters with years of service.

"In Romania, they often don't know who to phone because nobody does the job."

In recent years the International Fire and Rescue Association has helped donate fire engines, ambulances and 4x4 vehicles to countries across the world.

A spokesman for Edinburgh Airport said the airport was fully behind Mr Hume's latest charity trip.

He said: "This is something the airport is very supportive of. BAA has already donated five fire appliances and one 4x4 to the charity and are due to donate another 4x4 which will be used in South America.

"This is something we strongly believe in and we're delighted that Davie is project manager on this trip out to Romania."