Weekend Watch: Local News Highlights Empact's Upcoming Ukraine Mission

As Executive Director Jake Gillanders spends this weekend packing gear and making final preparations for Odesa, local news station KING 5 has captured the heart of our upcoming mission to Ukraine. Their coverage highlighted what our supporters have known all along - that practical rescue skills can make a profound difference in communities facing crisis.

"Whether it's an earthquake or an explosion, the concepts are the same," Jake explained during the news segment. "I'll be training someone for something they know they're going to have to use versus something they may have to use. There are apartment complexes being bombed that are 14, 15 stories tall, beyond the reach of their ladders, and they're trying to extricate people from those buildings."

The reality of this mission resonates deeply. As a 24-year firefighting veteran and father, Jake fought back tears while discussing the nearly 12,000 civilians reported dead by the United Nations, and the more than 35,000 civilians wounded over more than four years of war.

"This corner of the world feels like it has been forgotten," he shared. "There are people who have lost sight of what's happening in Ukraine and the risks civilians are facing every single day."

Thanks to our incredible community of supporters and the partnership with StaySafe US, we're showing Odesa they're not forgotten. The advanced rope rescue and structural collapse techniques being shared aren't just theoretical exercises - they're tools that Odesa's firefighters will likely need to use within days or weeks of completing their training.

"We have the ability to reduce the peril they're experiencing, so we have a duty to act," Jake emphasized in the interview. This sense of duty, shared by our entire community of supporters, drives us forward.

Watch the full KING 5 news story here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDOsvIUo_t8

Follow our Facebook and Instagram pages for real-time updates from Odesa starting Thursday. Together, we're making a difference in a corner of the world that must not be forgotten.