Brussels fire brigade comes to the aid of Ostend colleagues
Storm Franklin is coming. A strong wind is blowing in Brussels, the Brussels fire brigade is holding its breath for tonight. Things are getting worse on the coast at the moment. The Brussels fire brigade shows solidarity and lends a ladder truck to colleagues in Ostend.
Walter Derieuw of the Brussels fire brigade at the editorial office.
“The Ostend fire brigade had asked for that assistance,” Derieuw, who says the Brussels fire brigade was not created. “It was a spare ladder, which we keep on hand in case one of our cars breaks down.”
‘Very pleased with the solidarity’
They would like to see that extra ladder truck in Ostend. The RMI has again announced code orange for the coastal region, with gusts of up to 125 kilometers per hour in that area on Sunday evening. It is currently all chickens on deck.
“With practical assistance, we always use the emergency assistance zones in Flanders and beyond. We are therefore very pleased that our colleagues in Brussels were able to lend a car”, Dries Van der Veken, commander of the Ostend fire brigade, is grateful to his Brussels staff.
‘A race against the clock’
“We are of course unlucky that this stormy weather was quite common. Many parts of Flanders have been affected. That made it very difficult to shuffle resources within the grant zone. The ladder trucks were occupied everywhere, including in our fire brigade zones.”
“We are fortunate to have colleagues from Brussels to have the opportunity to dispatch a vehicle with a driver. We also staffed the car with local firefighters. In this way we try to get rid of our backlog a bit. We are preparing for what is to come. It’s a race against time, so we could use all the help,” explains Van der Veken.
‘We hold on tight for tonight’
The same sound can be heard at the Brussels fire brigade. “We are holding out for tonight, we still want to receive sporadic calls via the 1722 number of the e-counter, our waiting list has not yet been completed. “Each service will then raise its hands in its own congregation.”