South Windsor Fire Department donates equipment to Ukraine

Joseph Villanova, Journal Inquirer, Manchester, Conn.
·2 min read

Jun. 28—SOUTH WINDSOR — The South Windsor Fire Department donated retired but viable firefighting gear this month to a shipment that is bound for Ukraine this week.

Konstantin Tartakovsky of Trumbull, a firefighter who lived in Ukraine for 11 years, said he already had 20 sets of older protective equipment and thought he could send it to Ukraine to help with the war effort.

"I'm just a Ukrainian-American firefighter trying to help Ukrainian firefighters," Tartakovsky said.

Tartakovsky said he saw a news story of a New Jersey man who worked with a shipping company to send over firefighting equipment.

"He was able to secure a shipment company and secure contact on the Ukrainian side that would distribute it ... I got the idea of seeing if I could grow this beyond 20 sets," Tartakovsky said.

South Windsor Fire Chief Kevin Cooney said many pieces of equipment must be retired after a number of years under National Fire Protection Association, NFPA, requirements.

"Whether it's in great shape or not, we're not allowed to use it," Cooney said.

Cooney said the town has donated decommissioned equipment to rural areas of the United States in the past and "jumped on the bandwagon" alongside other local departments to send equipment to Ukraine.

"It seems like a logical, excellent, awesome thing to do," Cooney said.

Tartakovsky said South Windsor donated 17 sets of coats and pants, 13 pairs of boots, 20 hazmat suits, and 26 sets of hazmat boots and gloves, all of which are past their 10-year marks for NFPA requirements.

"While we can't use it, it's perfectly usable for a country that's under war and doesn't have NFPA regulations," Tartakovsky said.

Tartakovsky said other types of equipment he collected from fire departments include Jaws of Life, medical supplies, and oxygen packs and masks.

Cooney said there is a clear need for the equipment.

"As you watch the news, they're going through their troubles ... one of the constant things you see in the forefront is Ukrainian firefighters going out and doing their job," Cooney said.

Tartakovsky said the shipment, with equipment donated by many other Connecticut fire departments, will be headed to New Jersey on Wednesday.

From there, an international shipping company will handle logistics, packing, and shipping to a logistics hub in Ukraine, with people in the country ready to distribute the equipment to areas in need.

Joseph covers East Hartford and South Windsor. He joined the JI in July 2021. Joseph graduated from the University of Connecticut and he is an avid guitarist and coffee enthusiast.