Blog 3/4 Miles, Magic and the Mission: From the Mountains to the Black Sea
It was a bright and sunny morning as the team packed the support vehicle, grabbed a quick breakfast, and readied themselves for the road ahead. Hard to believe we were already five days into the project – how could it be Tuesday already? Fourteen hundred miles behind us, and another five hundred still to go before we reached the town of Podilsk in Odesa Oblast. It would be another epic sixteen-hour driving day. The reward? A visit to a local school, faces lit with delight, and a reunion with old friends and colleagues. First, we had to get there!
With one engine already delivered, we were down to two vehicles: the second fire truck (P1 Odesa) and the ever-reliable support van, affectionately known as Bettie -an eight-seater minivan also dubbed Resilience 2. The team rotated between the two, pushing through fatigue as the journey pressed on. The Carpathian Mountains rolled out around us, offering a kind of quiet solace: green hills, early spring blossoms, and the first signs of the planting season.
Even amidst the beauty, war was never far away. Air raid apps on our phones lit up with alarming regularity, a haunting rhythm that sliced through the peace. However, for moments, you could almost forget. Almost.
“Like Driving on the Moon“
There’s little point dressing it up – it was a long, gruelling day. More hours behind the wheel, more fuel stops, a relentless need to just keep moving forward. As we neared Podilsk, the challenge shifted.
The roads became more rural, then turned almost lunar. At times, it genuinely felt like we’d taken a wrong turn and ended up driving across the moon’s surface. Rutted, dusty, and deeply cavernous, they were punishing on both drivers and vehicles. A minor landslip that could have destroyed vehicles and missions was narrowly avoided in the early hours, and our constant radio communication proved vital. That both Bettie and the fire engine made it through in one piece is a testament to the sheer will and skill of the driving team. Turn your sound on for the full effect.
We finally arrived after 1 am, over an hour after curfew, although we weren’t the only ones still out and about, and we had to be at the school by 9 am. Ukraine doesn’t let time get in the way of hospitality: even at that hour, we were greeted warmly by our hosts with homemade traditional salt bread, Vertut – вертута (Moldovian cuisine), hugs and smiles. It was going to be a short night, but we were grateful for the food, the welcome, and a few hours of rest
A School Visit That Changed Everything
Wednesday brought one of the most meaningful moments of the entire mission: a visit to a local school in Podilsk. We were warmly greeted by two brilliant young women – Inna and Natalka – local teachers who had served as translators during last year’s Burlington Sister City project, you can read that blog here.
After traditional greetings – and being presented with individual Paska – паска (Ukrainian Easter cake) – we spent time touring classrooms, meeting children, and witnessing what it means to grow up and learn during a time of war. The day began in the most poignant way, as the team stood alongside the entire school for their daily minute’s silence – honouring lives lost, families torn apart, and the enduring reality of conflict. It was a moment that caught us all in the throat and stayed with us throughout the day.
In the underground shelters – now a core part of school life – Tetiana Kulenko, the headteacher, explained how their day is split into two shifts. With space limited, they can’t safely shelter all the children at once. So younger pupils arrive early and leave after lunch, while older students begin later and stay into the evening.
When the sirens sound, and they often do, everyone moves underground. More than 300 people packed into a confined space. Lessons are paused. Desks and chairs are set out in rows below ground as the school does what it can to keep learning going during air raids. Despite their best efforts, childhood and education are interrupted. This is their reality. Podilsk has been spared the worst of the missile strikes, but the threat is ever-present. No chances can be taken.
The team even got a chance to try out some target shooting. To save face, let’s just say some of us hit the targets the first time, others didn’t, but we all got there in the end. The students from the school definitely showed us how it was done. Just time to see the cheerleading team show off their routine that had won them a competition just the day earlier, and then our firefighters took on some of the award-winning school volleyball team. This was friendly and fun, but EVERYONE wanted to win!
Moments of Magic
After coffee and pastries, as the first half of the school day ended and parents began to arrive, the fire engine parked outside became a magnet. The children poured out of classrooms and ran toward it in sheer delight. The atmosphere was electric, like a carnival had rolled into town.
I honestly couldn’t say whether the children were more excited to climb on the fire engine or on the firefighters.
They swarmed into the cab, tried on uniforms far too big, wore helmets that slid down over their ears—and, to their absolute glee, got to spray water from the hose. The pièce de résistance of the day.
It was joyous. Emotional. Overwhelming. At times, we had to step away just to collect ourselves. Somehow, in that moment, all the miles, all the strain of the journey, disappeared.
We were suddenly celebrities—posing for selfies, signing autographs. It felt surreal. The fire engine, the mission, our destination in Odesa—all of it faded for a few hours in a wave of euphoria and laughter.
Retired firefighter Neil Day, who has visited hundreds of schools over the years, quietly admitted that nothing had ever touched him quite like this day. Even the staff got involved, with Fighfighter & Watch Commander Jamie Hodkinson dressing our incredible translators Inna and Natalka in full firefighting kit.
The Campfire Ceremony – and a Magical Moment
As it happened, that day the school was hosting its annual Campfire Ceremony—a celebration of educational success, bringing together local dignitaries, elected officials, and headteachers from surrounding towns.
We were honoured to be invited to speak. We shared our mission, the meaning behind the fire engines, and the message we’d brought with us: that despite political changes elsewhere, we still stand with Ukraine. We care. We are here. We see them.
I believe our words landed. We were humbled when the Mayor personally presented each member of our team with a token of appreciation – a keepsake from the day. It was unexpected and deeply moving.
Onward to Odesa
There was no time to rest. Still 135 miles to go before we reach Odesa – the Black Sea, and one final delivery.
Odesa is a city that’s endured far too much in recent months. Only days before our arrival, it had suffered heavy strikes. Most nights, air defence systems are active. The reality was not lost on us.
Upon checking into our hotel, the first briefing wasn’t about dinner or Wi-Fi, it was about evacuation. We were shown the air raid shelter in the basement of the hotel.
Even so, that night we managed to share a meal with our hosts and the recipients of our second fire engine at a wonderful Georgian restaurant, dining outside on the street and enjoying the late warmth of the evening after another ‘red-hot’ day. There was laughter, warmth, and stories shared, but always that underlying awareness of where we were.
And then…the sirens sounded.
Some of us met in stairwells as we made our way down to the basements. Others, so exhausted, slept through the whole ordeal. Either way, in Ukraine, this has become routine – a part of daily life. Just days after we left, Odesa suffered another heavy bombardment. Thankfully, our team was out of harm’s way.
If you’ve not yet read the first part of our journey, you can catch up on our journey from the UK to Medyka, or see the handover of the first engine in Uzhhorod. For the final leg and the full Odesa delivery, click here.
Finally, please find the local Ukrainian press coverage (Телекомпанія “ПЕТ”) of this event. The Actions Beyond Words segment begins around the one-minute mark. Please note, this video is in Ukrainian and does not have subtitles.
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