Cyfle Building Skills CITB Apprentices have recently been a part of a project to construct a new build for 22 local volunteer firefighters in the Serbian village of Tometino Polje. The very active Tometinto Polje Voluntary Fire Brigade consists of 22 members, set up to fight forest fires in summer in and around our small village in West Serbia. Their only fire engine (1957 Green Goddess) is beginning to degrade due to the extremes of summer and winter, hence the need to build her a fire station.

The Fire Brigade is legally established in Serbia and are members of Blazing to Serbia and also Fire Aid. The Ground Breaking Ceremony in September was attended by Blazing to Serbia, local dignitaries and the British Ambassador, HMA, Denis Keefe.

More information can be found here:
https://www.facebook.com/GreenGoddessOdyssey/?hc_ref=ARQJ9smdYiCbPxLr0BdF0LHGQrUGVlXFypkDMDTLJBkmp-TFqWeZ2cF0p3gXNOPFXUs&fref=nf

THE BUILD PROJECT:

Funding was secured from the local council to enable them to build the station over 3 years but budgets are very tight.
Simple plans were prepared and the station site was excavated and ready for activity.
The plan for the first year of build was to create foundations, build walls on the first floor and assemble the ceiling.
Work began in late May and Cyfle Building Skills sent out their first of two teams in early June 2018 for a two week visit. The basic structure of the fire station will be complete by the 30th of June, when team 2 returns from their 2-week visit.

After the first week of the visit to Serbia by team 1 from Cyfle Building Skills, a progress report was sent:
It was reported that the first day on the build project was a challenge with water shortages and power cuts; the team overcame this and “on the second day there was 16 volunteers on site and were enjoying good support from brigade members”.

Below are some progression images on the fire station build by

Team 1 which consisted of Paul Falzon Cyfle Shared Apprentice Coordinator, Steven Brenchley CITB Shared Apprentice Bricklayer, Dylan Evans CITB Shared Apprentice Electrician and Daniel Jones an ex CITB Shared Apprentice Bricklayer.

Team 2 which consisted of Owain Phillips an ex CITB Shared Apprentice Carpenter, Kane Lewis a CITB Shared Apprentice Plasterer, Rebecca Coles a CITB Shared Apprentice Electrician and Cerys Burrill a CITB Shared Apprentice Carpenter working cooperatively with the volunteers of the Serbian Brigade.

This is the most recent Photo of the fire station built by the 2 teams of the CITB Cyfle apprentices and volunteers in Serbia, with the completion of the foundations and even managed to get the roof completed.