The famous Croatian football player donated a generous amount to help two fire brigades do their job more safely.
Three months ago, the whole country closely followed the news as Dalmatia was being ravaged by rapidly spreading wildfires. All fire brigades from the region spent days in the field, joined by their colleagues from various parts of Croatia. One of the burning issues the firemen kept drawing attention to is their outdated equipment, ranging from old fire engines to worn-down personal gear; local authorities didn’t do much to help, so it all again came down to people making do with what they have at hand.
In such a situation, it makes for uplifting news to hear about a hefty sum donated to our hardworking heroes by a single individual. Mandžukić donated 20.000 euro so two volunteer fire departments (DVD) from Split-Dalmatia County could be provided with new equipment, reported Brač online.
The fire brigades from Podstrana and Supetar on Brač island joined forces in the battle against the catastrophic blaze that reached Split earlier this summer. With his substantial donation, Mandžukić ensured the thirty firemen get new professional gear they desperately needed.
President and representative of DVD Supetar Nikica Maričić expressed his gratitude to the generous athlete. “We wish to thank Mario with all our hearts for acknowledging the moment when we needed help, and reaching out to us with his donation. This personal firefighting equipment he gifted us with will enable us to safely fight fires and any other challenges we might face”, he said.
Commander of DVD Podstrana Nikola Bakota also thanked Dijana Šćeparović from the Entrepreneurship Centre Aktiva and Best of Brač for their help in realising this donation.
To mark the ocassion in a symbolic way, the firemen of Podstrana and Supetar decided their new shirts should feature Mandžukić’s ‘fiery’ number 17 on their backs:
As the case had it, just as the photos were taken, the fire department in Supetar received notice about a fire breaking out near Sutivan. Both them and their colleagues from Podstrana hurried out into the field to test the new equipment along the way; luckily, the fire was put out quickly, and their new gear passed a trial run in the best possible way!
Photo credit: Brač online
