Scenario
Global charity Firefighters Without Borders (FWB) received a donation of two fire trucks from Mississauga Fire and Emergency Services in Canada which needed to be transported to the Caribbean island nation of St. Lucia.
Evolution Time Critical’s parent company Metro Logistics Group has worked alongside FWB since 2017, delivering more than 100 shipments to various locations around the world.
FWB asked if we could meet this logistical challenge and we were happy to provide our expertise and cover all of the shipping costs to get the truck safely to St. Lucia.
challenges
- The size of the American LaFrance A150 ladder truck, with a total length of 10.5 metres and weight of around 32 tonnes plus equipment.
- Ensuring safe marine transport to St. Lucia during the evolving global pandemic, with severe disruption to trade and supply chains.
- Formulation of an international project logistics solution for large, specialised equipment comprising a sequence of different transport modes.
- Management of the unique bureaucratic requirements of shipping a fire truck classified as a gift or donation, which caused challenges with US customs.
Solution
This project relied heavily on the agility and flexibility of our team. Once the shipment and destination were confirmed, we developed a plan to transport the truck on a flatbed trailer to Halifax, Canada, before shipping it down to St. Lucia.
Extensive disruption due to COVID-19 meant that the intended cargo ship was no longer heading to the island and was replaced with a smaller vessel which could not accommodate the truck. An alternative plan was required at short notice.
Our new solution was to re-route the flatbed by road down to Florida, where there were ongoing and regular marine transport services to St. Lucia.
Conclusion
Despite all the challenges and disruptions the truck arrived on schedule and was handed over the the grateful team at the St. Lucia Fire Department.
With each equipment delivery FWB helps to bolster local firefighting capability and helps to improve the skills of local firefighters. This project was a perfect opportunity for us to contribute to this partnership.
“This project will make a significant difference in the capacity of the St. Lucia Fire Service and help to make their community safer. It will also significantly strengthen the training capabilities of emergency responders throughout the Eastern Caribbean Region. We are very grateful that Metro Logistics Group and Evolution Time Critical chose to be such a major partner in this project!”
- Russ Chalmers, President & Director of Projects, Firefighters Without Borders
Evolution Time Critical was proud to donate expertise in navigating bureaucratic and practical hurdles in challenging conditions and ensure that this vital fire truck safely reached its destination in St. Lucia.
