A retired Harrogate firefighter has volunteered to go to Ukraine to help firefight in the war against Russian invasion.
Bruce Reid , who worked in the field for over thirty years, got in touch with the Ukrainian Embassy after seeing the crisis in the country to see if his skills could be put to use.
After successfully applying to join the war effort, he booked his own flights to Poland where he will meet with international assistance to be stationed wherever he is needed in Ukraine.
Mr Reid is due to fly tomorrow afternoon.
Despite retiring two years ago, he wanted to use his skills to aid people;
“I have no idea what I’ll be doing until I get there but I just wanted to use my thirty years in the service to offer aid.
I’m going into the unknown really.”
He is currently unsure how long he will stay in Ukraine but has reassured his family that he will only carry out his duty as a firefighter;
“I can’t be sure that I’ll get there and they’ll ask me to firefight, but if they ask me to fight I’ll be saying no.
I told my family that if I’m not needed as a firefighter I’ll be coming back home.”
He announced his decision on Facebook alongside this picture of his old kit;
Friends and family in the comments expressed their admiration for his decision;
“That is an amazing thing to do Bruce, your family must be proud and scared in equal measure”
“What a fantastic thing to do. Well done and stay safe out there.”
“You are a remarkable person Bruce! We will all miss you but know it’s what you need to do!”
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In 2015, Mr Reid was awarded an MBE for his services both as a firefighter and for charity.
In 2020, the Stray Ferret reported on how he and fellow firefighters in Harrogate cooked over 50 meals for residents in need.
The Stray Ferret will be in touch with Mr Reid as much as possible to report on his volunteering work and let you know how he is.
