Fire gear for Africa: Help firefighters save lives

Imagine your fire department has no ladders, no fire gloves, no breathing packs, only a few sparse helmets and coats.  Now imagine a large city supported by this department.  This is the story of Iringa, Tanzania.

Brian Schwartz is a high school teacher and volunteer firefighter in rural Vermont.  He traveled with a group of his students to Iringa, Tanzania last summer. He visited the fire department to learn how they operate and what problems they have.  He soon found that their struggle is real. 

The city of Iringa is located in Western Tanzania and home to almost a million people.  This city has only 27 active firefighters and their personal protective gear is limited.  The entire department has barely 4 full sets of fire gear, one pair of fire boots, and no fire gloves. This lack of gear and equipment limits their ability to train, respond, and save lives.

Brian has started a campaign to outfit those firefighters with gear donated by Vermont fire departments. To date, he has collected more than 150 full sets of fire gear and 35 air packs. That is enough to outfit Iringa and the surrounding communities with full protective gear.

This is a firefighter wearing one of only four sets of fire gear.  Notice no gloves, eye protection, or hood.  

His task now is to raise funds to ship all that gear from Vermont to Iringa in the Spring of 2019.  Help him raise $11,000 needed to ship this vital gear to the firefighters that need it most. 


As of Thanksgiving, 26 fire departments in Vermont have donated to this cause.   That is nothing short of amazing.   

Help send this gear to the firefighters in Iringa, Tanzania and help them save lives. So many people are incredibly grateful for your help and generosity. 


 In the U.S. fire service, gear is taken out of service after a lifespan of 10 years, whether the gear was used or not.  We will ship this gear to the firefighters in Africa.  Why is sending the 150 sets Brian has collected so incredibly necessary?  They have the firefighters they need the gear.  

  Vermont has donated gear and equipment that would cost over $450,000.

Help send this gear to the firefighters in Iringa, Tanzania and help them save lives. So many people are incredibly grateful for your help and generosity.