STERLING, Ill — Editor's note: The video above is from Dec. 16.
The City of Sterling is calling on its community members and surrounding agencies to help pack one of its old fire engines full of medical supplies for the war-torn country of Ukraine.
The soon-to-be-donated engine is 20 years old, meaning it retains little value and is more difficult to resell, according to Sterling's Facebook post. That's why the city is working with US Ambulances for Ukraine, an Illinois-based group, to pack up the engine with supplies and send it to Ukraine.
"Ukrainians will get far more benefit from this engine than anyone else ever will given the number of missile and drone attacks Russia is inflicting on civilian infrastructure on a daily basis," the city says in the Facebook post.
"They were announcing the donation of a firetruck from Bedford Park. I thought 'well, we're getting rid of an engine. They don't command much value after 20 years of age.' I thought, what better way, because these people will get far more use out of it than another department ever will. So just seemed like an opportune time we pulled the council was all in favor of it," Sterling City Manager Scott Shumard said.
The city wants to pack the engine full of trauma-related medical and rescue supplies so that Ukrainian forces can respond to artillery, drone and missile strikes. Those supplies are:
- ABC-related (Airway, Breathing, Circulation).
- Gauze.
- Anything for treating sucking chest wounds.
- O2 bottles.
- Splints.
- Traction.
- Backboards.
- Cardiac monitors.
- Usable “outdates” are acceptable.
- No gloves, masks or sanitizer.
"The important part is we're just trying to fill it up with supplies. And so we're doing an outreach to find anything that's more or less related to trauma, things like that," said Shumard. "We're not looking for money. We're looking for actual supplies to put on the truck."
Donations must be received by Jan. 10.
Those who are able to donate any of these supplies are asked to contact Sterling City Clerk Teri Sathoff or Chief Michael Dettman. Their contact info is below:
- Sathoff: tsathoff@sterling-il.gov, 815-632-6630.
- Dettman: mdettman@sterling-il.gov, 815-632-6680.
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