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Cumbria fire engine donated to The Gambia to help save lives

Cumbria County Council CFRS Watch Manager Willy WatsonCumbria County Council
Willy plans to return to The Gambia next year and to help train Kotu's firefighters

A decommissioned fire engine from Cumbria is being donated to a fire brigade in West Africa in the hope it will help save lives.

The Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service engine, which has seen 20 years of service and is in working order, will be shipped to The Gambia.

Watch manager Willy Watson raised funds to pay for the shipping costs after visiting the country on holiday.

He said the Gambian firefighters do an "amazing job" with "little resources".

The fire engine will be heading to Kotu fire station in the Senna Gambia region where it will replace an "older and increasingly unreliable pump", Cumbria County Council said.

Chief fire officer, Steve Healey, said he was "pleased to have the opportunity" to donate a redundant fire engine and firefighting equipment knowing that a "less fortunate" fire service can use it to serve and protect their communities.

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