A lot has been written and talked about regarding ambulances and different emergency gear being despatched to Ukraine from throughout Europe.
Assist teams, overseas international locations, and people have all taken up the trigger and despatched or pushed used ambulances and hearth engines to the Ukrainian border to switch the numerous autos destroyed by Russian forces through the previous 9 months.
What you won’t concentrate on, nonetheless, is that these efforts haven’t been restricted to Europe. Since March 2022, a bunch of People have additionally performed an more and more important position in supplying ambulances from the U.S. to Ukraine.
One small group of People and Ukrainians understanding of Chicago, Illinois referred to as US Ambulances for Ukraine, has despatched 18 fully-equipped used ambulances to Ukraine since March 29, 2022.
The trouble began with a easy query.
Following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February, a seven-year-old woman in america requested her dad if something may very well be finished to assist the individuals in Ukraine. In response to her query, the thought of sending used ambulances to Ukraine from america was born.
For the thought to achieve success nonetheless, ambulance suppliers, hospitals, hearth departments and others must be keen to donate used ambulances, medical provides, hearth gear, and cash to what has been self-described as a “loopy thought.” Luckily, the “loopy thought” has been embraced by most who’ve been requested to assist.
In March, when the primary U.S. ambulance supplier in Illinois was requested if they might be keen to donate one among their ambulances the one response given was: “What do you want, gasoline or diesel?”
And that was all that was wanted to get a motion began. With the assistance of the Ukrainian Consulate in Chicago, and teams like UA Resistance Basis, the Ukrainian Medical Affiliation of North America, and UA Home California these donated ambulances have been shipped through plane and ship to Europe. As soon as in Europe these ambulances are then staged on the Ukrainian border awaiting their ultimate supply into Ukraine.
On multiple event the US Ambulances for Ukraine group has pushed these convoys of ambulances into Ukraine and personally turned the autos over to the navy unit, hospital, hearth division or different finish consumer. On different events, US Ambulances for Ukraine coordinates efforts with Ministry of Well being officers, different authorities entities and different not for earnings like Life Assist Ukraine, which then help with getting the ambulances throughout the border into Ukraine and the last word distribution of the autos.
To date, the group has despatched six shipments containing 18 ambulances stuffed with provides with the final convoy being delivered final month in October as Russia elevated the depth of its missile and drone assaults throughout a lot of the nation.
On account of the elevated strikes, the group needed to alter drop off places and timing however ultimately was in a position to ship all seven ambulances, over 60 defibrillators and over two tons of medical provides and hearth gear to places throughout Ukraine.
The group is planning a seventh cargo someday in December, which is able to embody 10 ambulances and one hearth engine. The hearth engine would be the first such car shipped by the group however it’s hoped that it’s going to not be the final as they’re speaking to a number of hearth departments in america about attainable donations.
Because the donated ambulances have been collected from throughout the U.S. they too have been distributed throughout Ukraine. Kharkiv, Rivne, Odessa, Cherkasy, Izyum, Kherson are simply among the locations the place the 18 ambulances are at present working. These ambulances are being utilized by regional hospitals, hearth departments, navy models, and cell surgical hospitals.
Due to the contacts which were made because the effort started in March. it’s now widespread for US Ambulances for Ukraine to obtain emails straight from navy models, hospitals, regional governments, or hearth departments requesting an ambulance or a hearth engine.
With letters in hand, the group units out to seek out ambulances and match them with a attainable recipient based mostly on the car sort and who the tip consumer might be. For instance, a bigger ambulance may be given to a Hearth Division to be used as a rescue car to reinforce present hearth gear.
Smaller ambulances which are quicker and extra maneuverable may be given to a front-line unit the place it is going to be much less of a goal and simpler to navigate obstacles. The underside line for the group is to seek out ambulances and hearth engines and get them to Ukraine.
Typically within the U.S. the group will promise donors of the ambulances that if US Ambulances for Ukraine is given an ambulance, they’ll do all the things they’ll to ensure the donated ambulance “will get into the combat.”
Whereas the group tries to work as shortly as it might to ship its ambulances from the U.S. to Ukraine, it might nonetheless take a month or extra earlier than transportation for the ambulance is organized and it’s shipped. Whereas an plane can have a car delivered in lower than 24 hours to a staging area near the Ukrainian border, the previous 13 ambulances have all been despatched through ship. which takes round 4 weeks to journey from the East Coast of the U.S. to its staging location alongside the Ukrainian border. With the size of time to ship all the time on their thoughts, the group is raring to see its subsequent cargo off in December.
This subsequent cargo might be its largest after a surge of ambulance donations following the group’s profitable mission in October. Moreover sending the biggest single cargo of ambulances from the U.S. by any support group to Ukraine, the December cargo might be particular in that it’s going to include the group’s first hearth engine, which might be despatched to Mykolaiv. As well as, seven of the ten ambulances might be assigned to frontline fight models, staying true to US Ambulances for Ukraine’s promise of getting the donated American ambulances “In to the combat.”
