A MAN fire truck on its way to Crete

Christoph Schnatterer from Denzlingen near Freiburg in Germany has been visiting the Greek island of Crete with his family for thirty years. The inhabitants of the Chora Sfakion region often had to fight forest fires, but they lacked a fire engine. The 59-year-old wanted to help - and, with MAN's support, started an admirable campaign. 

The nearest fire station in Chora Sfakion is about 40 kilometres away. Christoph, a scaffolding builder from Baden, regularly visits his sister in Frangokastello on Crete. He knows about the constant risk of major fires there, especially in the mountainous, hard-to-reach nature reserve on the south coast of the island. Time and again, he has said to himself:

So Christoph decided to buy and donate a truck for the municipalities of Frangokastello, Patsianos and Kapsodaso. A friend from Freiburg supported him in this generous action: Stefan Link, a MAN employee from Freiburg and a member of the volunteer fire brigade. Stefan was eager to help. Within a year he had found a suitable fire engine: a MAN tender fire engine.

Now the fundraising campaign has really got off the ground, with new supporters: Chantal Dohm from MAN organised the maintenance and inspection of the truck. After all, the vehicle is to be used directly in Crete and must be able to withstand the demands of firefighting. d-Baumschubser loaded the fire truck onto a MAN low loader trailer. So much helpfulness deserves to be celebrated, so Chantal had the truck wrapped in foil. Then it was off to Crete.

The truck is blessed

When the fire truck arrived, a ceremony was held in Frangokastello, where the vehicle was blessed by two priests in the castle. Mayor Ioannis (Sfakia) and firefighter Lambis Koukounaris (Frangokastello), as well as Mayor Christopherus, responsible for the municipalities of Frangokastello, Patsianos and Kapsodasos, welcomed the MAN as the fire truck for the local communities. Just like in films, a fire broke out in the area. Thanks to the new vehicle and with the active help of the guests from Germany, the fire brigade was able to put it out quickly. They couldn't have imagined it.

A big thank you goes to the Yiorgos Koukounaris family, who generously offered free accommodation at short notice. And a big thank you to everyone who took part in this incredible campaign - especially Christoph Schnatterer. You’re amazing!