A WARRINGTON firefighter jetted back home last week after taking part in a six week mission to help Kosovar refugees.

John Pugh, aged 48, is a member of Cheshire Fire Brigade's search and rescue team, a specially trained unit which serves all over the world in the event of war and natural disaster.

He flew out to Macedonia's Skopje Airport in mid May with 10 other firefighters, including Cheshire colleague Chris Spencer from Crewe.

John, who is based at Stockton Heath Fire Station, had the job of unloading relief planes carrying food, tents and medical equipment.

The team was also called upon to erect make-shift steel dams for storing drinking water and conduct head-counts at refugee camps.

"Going into the camps was an eye-opening experience. There were around 45,000 refugees all living on the side of a mountain," John said.

"To keep that many people under control is an achievement in itself. These people had lost everything and had nothing to do.

"But no-one was starving and everyone had shelter thanks to the work of the charities and various relief teams out there.

"When you see the finished tents up and people living in them you feel a sense of pride and wonder whether it is one that you unloaded."

The Macedonia project was John's second mission with the search and rescue team, the first being in Iraq at the end of the Gulf War, and the 10 members were briefed by UN officials before they left England.

John added: "I think when 10 strangers are thrown together and work as hard as we did without any problems, it says something about the fire service and the training we receive."

"I'd like to thank the fire chief of Cheshire Steve McGuirk and the local fire authority because they are the ones who give us permission to make these trips."

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