Ministry of Defence firefighters have come to the rescue of three fire stations crippled by the war in Bosnia.

Nigel Armstrong, from the MoD Fire Service at Bicester Ordnance Depot, handed over new equipment to three Bosnian firemen at Gornji Vakuf.

He was among a party of firemen from Bicester and other Ministry of Defence establishments who have been spending time passing on their expertise to their Bosnian colleagues.

The equipment has helped to put fire appliances back on the road. Items of protective clothing were also donated from surplus stores.

The MoD firemen also helped rescue civilians from house fires and release car crash victims.

Derek Turner, Defence Fire Service commander at Gornji Vakuf, said: "The Bosnian fire brigades were badly affected by the war. They lost a lot of their stations and there is very little local money available for training and equipment."

The fire station at Gornji Vakuf had 30 full-time firemen before the war but now there are just eight, and a handful of part-timers.

The fire service operated throughout hostilities when several firemen were killed.

Chief fire officer for Gornji Vakuf, Vahid Jelihodzic said: "Things are very difficult here financially. We don't have enough money but we are trying to maintain a high level of service. The help we have received is very welcome indeed."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.