U.S. Ambassador Attends Donation Ceremony at Civil Defense Headquarters

U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea on Tuesday attended the handover ceremony of a Seagrave Triple Fire Engine from the City of Los Angeles to Lebanon's General Directorate of Civil Defense.

The 55,000-pound vehicle will be based at the Mar Mikhail Civil Defense Fire Station and will provide emergency-response capabilities for a community of over 200,000 residents.

The donation comes from members of U.S. not-for-profit organizations Cedars Relief and the American Task Force on Lebanon (ATFL), with support from the U.S. Department of Defense and dozens of other organizations that provided for the fire engine’s refurbishment, decommissioning, shipment, and transfer.

In her remarks, Ambassador Shea recognized the "important and ongoing efforts of U.S. not-for-profit organizations" to help meet the needs of the Lebanese people.

"This donation demonstrates the spirit of volunteerism, goodwill, and friendship between the American and Lebanese peoples. I look forward to commemorating more private donations like this one, which is providing a Lebanese community with equipment to enhance its life-saving, emergency-response capabilities," Shea said.

To date, the ATFL has collected and distributed over $50 million in aid to the Lebanese people, and Cedars Relief has responded with more than $6 million in supplies and medicines.