Volunteers from fire services and departments across the Bay Area on Thursday, Aug. 11, finished loading a 40-foot shipping container with firefighting equipment to be sent to Ukraine.
Harold Schapelhouman, a retired Menlo Park Fire Protection District chief, aided in the organization of the gathering of used fire tools and supplies to help firefighters in Ukraine with rescues, recoveries and fighting fires.
The effort began in April, with Schapelhouman and others reaching out to agencies about the need for tools in Ukraine. Schapelhouman said that his position as an immigrant and husband to a half-Ukrainian woman has brought the issue of the war in Ukraine closer to home.
The former fire chief, who also worked for the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services for urban search and rescue, believes that no matter what, those doing rescue work in Ukraine need aid.