Public safety equipment and supplies for first responders from Arlington, Virginia, are headed to Ukraine.
The Northern Virginia county said Thursday that its fire department, law enforcement and emergency managers had organized firefighting gear, medical supplies and personal protective equipment to aid Ukrainian first responders in the country’s ongoing struggle against Russian invaders.
“Ukrainian first responders are facing the fight of their lives, dealing with providing emergency services in unimaginable conditions,” Arlington County fire chief David Povlitz said in a news release.
“Arlington recognized the grave situation that the Ukrainian citizens face and wanted to show our support in whatever way possible. We are hopeful that this important equipment will make a difference, and our hearts and prayers remain with the Ukrainian people during this tragic time.”
Donations include approximately 200,000 sets of disposable gowns, 9,000 N95 particulate respirators, 125 sets of firefighting gear, more than 100 ballistic vests, and pallets containing critical medical equipment and firefighting hand tools. In all, Arlington County said it donated hundreds of thousands of supplies.
Oksana Markarova, Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States, joined Arlington County officials Thursday in seeing the supplies off. The donation effort began with Igor Scherbakov, Arlington’s Ukrainian-born public safety procurement specialist. County officials coordinated with the nonprofit United Help Ukraine and the Ukrainian-American Coordinating Council.
The Northern Virginia Regional Commission is also collecting public donations of cold-weather items at the Arlington Central Library until Friday, April 15. See a list of items sought and drop-off information.
Arlington and Western Ukraine’s Ivano-Frankivsk have been sister cities since 2011, hosting government delegations, holding student exchanges and sharing public safety information for the last decade. Russian missiles targeted Ivano-Frankivsk’s airport in the war’s first month.
