Twin Cities fire chiefs to personally deliver fire truck to Ukraine
ISANTI, Minn. — It's the season of giving, and a retired pastor has teamed up with Twin Cities firefighters for a special overseas delivery.
A couple of years ago, Pastor Lee Scheumann started Hand in Hand Logistics near Isanti, a nonprofit that delivers a variety of supplies to people in Ukraine.
Now, Lee and a group of Twin Cities fire chiefs are planning to personally deliver a fire truck to Ukraine.
As a pastor, Scheumann has made dozens of trips to teach in Ukraine. That connection inspired him to build a warehouse at his Isanti home, where volunteers pack and send supplies to the war-torn country. Fire equipment is one of their top donations.
"We've been sending a lot of uniforms, boots, helmets," said Scheumann.
But during a visit to Ukraine last summer, Lee and Brooklyn Park Fire Chief Shawn Conway saw the country was constantly putting out fires due to bombings — so they began to think bigger.
"To make everything work, we needed a fire truck," said Scheumann.
"We really look to continue to find the equipment that they need, things that can be repurposed that is no longer going to be utilized in our fire service," said Conway.
When they returned home, Conway got in touch with friend and fellow fire chief Gary Hendrickson of Dayton.
"I said, 'We got a fire truck that's been sitting at public works for quite some time,'" said Hendrickson.
That's how Engine 12 got a new life. It has more technology than the engines they're using in Ukraine.
Straight shot, it's about 5,200 miles from Minnesota to Ukraine, but the fire engine's journey will be much longer than that.
Retired firefighters Mark Lynde and Jerry Streich have made similar trips before.
"A couple of trips to Liberia and then Kenya, and we went to Kenya, what, four or five times over there," said Lynde.
In early January, they will drive Engine 12 to Baltimore, Maryland. From there, it will get shipped to Hamburg, Germany, where firefighters from Ukraine will pick it up and bring it home.
"We're looking forward to giving back," said Streich. "A firefighter is a firefighter no matter where you go. Always."
It's an important delivery, and this crew is hoping it's the first of many.
"Having the fire chiefs here connected with the fire chiefs there is a marvelous thing," said Scheumann.
