Tennessee Valley EMT preparing to volunteer in Ukraine

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAFF) - As the violence and destruction in Ukraine continues to escalate, people in the Tennessee Valley are taking action. WAFF talked with an EMT who just purchased a one way ticket to Poland with plans to enter Ukraine and help people with traumatic injuries.

”I enjoy helping folks. There’s a lot of bad stuff in the world and even if I can do just a little bit to correct that, you know it feels good,” Robin Fussell said.

Fussell wears his support for the people of Ukraine on his wrist and on his sleeve. Like a lot of us, he’s seen the deadly devastation involved in the war on TV.

On April 20, he’ll fly and meet some of the people impacted, with his own eyes.

“In just a few weeks I’m going to be flying to Warsaw, Poland,” Fussell said. “From there, I’m going to meet up with a few medical professionals that I’ve come in contact with. We’re going to hopefully make our way to Ukraine or maybe remain in Poland, and help with any medical needs of the refugees.”

Hundreds of people in Ukraine have been killed in the war that’s now in the second month. Even more people are injured, which is why medical professionals are answering the call to help.

“As an EMT, I’m trained largely in the care of traumatic injuries,” Fussell said. “That’s one of the primary focuses in the emergency medical technicians coursework and that’s probably the vast majority of what’s going on there right now.”

Fussell is an EMT who has been trained in helping people with injuries for more than 20 years. He feels a responsibility to help those in need.

“I have friends who live in Ukraine and I was worried about them,” Fussell said. “A few of them left before the invasion but some are still there.”

If you want to get involved and help people impacted in the Ukraine-Russia war, Fussell says there are a lot of options.

“There’s a large number of Facebook groups with various humanitarian efforts you can contact and volunteer with or maybe they can direct you could volunteer,” Fussell said.

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