TINICUM \u2014 The heap of plastic bags in the back of the blue pick-up truck jostled a bit as the firefighters drove their load destined for Sierra Leone via the Collingdale and Tinicum fire companies and First Baptist Church in Collingdale.\u00a0 (Photo: Tinicum firefighters Stynor Carter, left, and Alhaji Saccoh display the equipment that they are donating to Sierra Leone at the Collingdale 1 fire house. (Times Staff\/ROBERT J. GURECKI))<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s an awesome feeling,\u201d said 29-year-old Alhaji Saccoh, Collingdale Fire Co. No. 1 firefighter and Sierra Leone native. \u201cThis is going to be an ongoing effort and a long-term partnership for the Sierra Leone Fire Department.\u201d<\/p>\n
Collingdale\u2019s chief, Joe Locke, offered his support for the collection of fire gear for the African firefighters.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s good because we\u2019re helping less fortunate outside our country who can\u2019t afford this,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Saccoh was so excited Saturday he woke up energized very early.<\/p>\n
The Aldan resident left the West African country 16 years ago because of the internal strife.<\/p>\n
\u201cGrowing up there, it was during the civil war,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was in really, really bad conditions. (There was) a lot of fighting, the country was poor, the government was very, very ineffective.\u201d<\/p>\n
Saccoh lived in Yeadon for a while and then moved to the other end of Delaware County, where he volunteered for the Marcus Hook Fire Company.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s my way to serve the community in which I live,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s unique. Most people get scared … I see that as a moral obligation to do something for my community.<\/p>\n
For two years, he\u2019s been volunteering with the Collingdale fire company and is learning to drive the truck in between spending time with his wife and their 2\u00bd-year-old daughter, working at Devereaux at night and studying economic development at the University of Pennsylvania during the day.<\/p>\n
Last June, Saccoh returned for a visit to his country and found the poverty remained, including among the firefighting community in Freetown.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe fire department is very, very poor,\u201d he said. \u201cThe guys over there are sleeping on the floor. When they respond to calls, they go there in their clothes. They have no gear. They have nothing. They have nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n
When Saccoh returned to the United States, he was committed to talking to his chief to see how they could help.<\/p>\n
Since November, members of the Collingdale and Tinicum fire departments have been sorting through their equipment to find outdated pieces in good shape.<\/p>\n
On Saturday, the mound of bagged helmets, pants, coats, gloves and suspenders was taken to the First Baptist Church in Collingdale where it will be stored until later for shipment.<\/p>\n
Saccoh is hopeful this effort will have transformative impact for the Freetown firefighters.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a place that it\u2019s good to go back to the fire department and try to really bring pride into the work they do because people don\u2019t respect them right now,\u201d Saccoh said. \u201cOne, they don\u2019t have the right gear to do the job correctly. (Secondly,) they can\u2019t independently do any fundraising because people think they are ineffective.\u201d<\/p>\n
Saccoh said he hopes the Delaware County equipment will put these firefighters in a different perspective among their countrymen.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that,\u201d he said looking at the filled truck, \u201cwill change the entire culture.\u201d<\/p>\n
Firefighter equipment is being collected through June and is being coordinated through the Collingdale Fire Co. No. 1. Officials there can be reached at collingdale1.com or by calling 610-583-3040.<\/p>\n