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It was really happening...an idea that had started as polite conversation on a city street in Moldova between strangers had taken shape, and come alive. Mark Allen, Ron Gruening, Greg Johnson; Ron's wife Gena, Mark's wife Chris, and Sgt. Barry Mossbarger, retired St. Paul Police, these few people who are the backbone of the International Fire relief Mission almost couldn't comprehend it.

With translation help from three pastors and students from a Moldovan seminary the International Fire Relief Mission was actually distributing half-a-million dollars in fire fighting goods.

Less than 12 months earlier this had been just a dream.

The International Fire Relief Mission was created by a couple of local men, who on their church trip to Eastern Europe hit it off with fire fighters they met in Chisinau, Moldova.

Mark Allen and Ron Gruening were shocked to see the condition of the fire house, the age of equipment and what little the Moldovans had to ensure the safety of their communities and protect the firefighters themselves.

Allen and Gruening came home to the Chisago Lakes area and decided they'd collect, transport and distribute used fire fighting equipment to their new friends Moldova. Depending on how this went-- hopefully this effort might grow to help other needy countries.

In October 2007 the first cargo ship container loads were sent over.

The mission does not just "dump and run" donated goods, though.

Gruening and Allen are trained in emergency response and fire fighting protocol and they explained that part of the mission is to make sure the firefighters receiving donated goods understand how things work and that they have support.

Allen, of Lindstrom, said upon arriving in Moldova he and the others were looked upon as some kind of delegation. Dealing with government officials at first was formal and a little forced.

"Once we got down to the street level (at the firehouses) with the firefighters all the politics dissolved," Gruening said.

Then it became a matter of controlling the distribution and explaining how equipment is designed to work as a unit.

The initial reaction, Gruening added, was for the Moldovan officials to want to to give everybody a little something.

"We had to get it through to them that pieces of equipment go together in a certain way." You can not mix and match certain manufacturers and materials.

The mission collected enough hoses, generators, turnout gear, etc. to supply three stations operating within Moldova's main urban area of Chisinau and one rural station.

None of the fire houses were technologically advanced, though.

The fact that donated breathing apparatus didn't involve heavy metal tanks had the Moldovan men concerned. Gruening said he had to assure them and demonstrate how the lightweight carbon-composite air bottles would work in a fire situation.

In training sessions Gruening relied on what are Fire Fighting 101 slide shows and instructional materials in this part of the world.

Greg Johnson, who traveled with the mission team, but is not a firefighter, observed that the whole country seemed about 50 years behind the U.S. in terms of general technology and safety advancements, like requiring smoke detectors.

Allen added that while the mission group was in Moldova (late Nov. to Dec. 8) a family was saved using the donated equipment. Allen points out that there were some 200 fire-related deaths in Chisinau, and the city firefighters serve a population half the population of Minnesota. "Can you imagine if we had 200 people die in fires in Minnesota?" Allen added.

Johnson added that another reason the Fire Relief Mission exists is to develop a relationship between firefighters here and abroad. Gina Gruening and Chris Allen proved very valuable in connecting to the communities when they threw a firehouse chili feed and also hosted a tea event so everyone could get to know one and another. Allen said the Moldovans were keen on sharing their homes and hospitality too. Family photo albums were passed around and stories of tragedies and triumphs were shared among the firefighting friends. Said Johnson, "Our intent is to relate we found the affect on (fire fighter) families is no different no matter what country."

International Fire Relief Mission is continuing to work with the U.S. State Department and the watchdog group Counter Part to organize future mission trips. The group plans to collect donations of goods and funds for Romania, the Ukraine, Bosnia and even Costa Rica, because these nations have come forward and invited the mission.

Another criteria for how recipients are identified is that governments are willing to work with the mission. As Allen put it, Moldovan officials "...could have told us to go away when we wouldn't do things their way." Instead they handed over control and cooperated. Allen felt that was a big step for them.

The group is busy now making presentations to donors and formally recognizing the contributions in the mission's first outreach. "We want to genuinely get the message out to show our expression of gratitude to all who contributed," Allen added.

The group is also cementing relationships with manufacturers, fire chiefs and charities. They have a strong commitment for equipment donations, coming from as far away as Arizona, that will make up a second distribution. Funding continues to be collected to pay for gas to haul equipment and long distance phone calls, etc. The mission

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