North Vancouver firefighters prepare to travel to Ukraine for rope rescue mission

Two North Vancouver firefighters will travel to Ukraine this September to support first responders in the war-torn country.

District of North Vancouver Fire and Rescue Service members CJ Summers and Ryan Svendsen are set to share their expertise in rope rescues.

Speaking to CTV Morning Live on Monday, Summers described the rope rescue systems currently in place in Ukraine as “mind blowing.”

“We’ve heard instances where there’s collapsed buildings and they’re pulling people out with a one-rope system attached to a truck. It’s something that we can’t even fathom here,” said Summers. “Not only is it not safe for the people they’re trying to save, but also for first responders.”

He and Svendsen will be joined by firefighters from Edmonton on this mission, which is the second the DNV has been a part of since the war broke out in February 2022.

That winter, DNV firefighter Jared Reynolds travelled to Ukraine to help train first responders, bringing over roughly 400 pounds of trauma-medical gear. He’s also played an instrumental role in sending Ukraine a decommissioned field hospital, and organizing a clothing drive during the winter when Russia was attacking Ukraine’s power grid, putting people at risk of freezing.

“He’s kind of our poster boy,” said Summers, explaining why Reynolds is the face of DNVFRS’s fundraising campaign.

The goal is to raise $40,000 in order to purchase more gear for Ukrainian first responders, as well as cover travel expenses for Summers and Svendsen.

“We’re so close and if we do pass our goal, it’s just going to help fund the next mission,” said Summers. “Hopefully this is just the first of many rope rescue missions to Ukraine and hopefully one of many missions that the DNV will be a part of to help our brothers and sisters overseas.”