A Metropolitan police fire officer has helped a team of part-time firefighters in Poland who had no breathing equipment for fighting fires.

Bernie Lewis joined police on their trip to the village of Sokolow in May, as part of the Convoy 2000 trip, taking with him donated equipment, which will ultimately help save lives in the village which has a seriously under funded fire service.

He told the Times: "The fire service here is retained. The men all work on a volunteer basis part-time, and all have other jobs as well.

"They just can't afford a full-time fire service, they don't even have all the proper safety equipment they need."

Bernie took with him donated breathing apparatus and chemical suits, as well as some controllers equipment which shows how much air time a firefighter has left, and what his oxygen levels are.

He said: "It is basic general, and essential, fire equipment as far as we are concerned. But it is equipment that the firemen here just don't have.

"They didn't have any breathing apparatus at all, and were basically going into fires to save peoples lives without it."

Bernie spent some time with the firefighters in Sokolow, showing them how to use the equipment and giving them some basic training to help them out.

Convoy 2000 involved Met police officers volunteering their time to help build facilities for schools in Poland.

Wieslaw Lichota, a part-time fire officer in Sokolow, told the Times: "We are so grateful for the equipment. But it's not just that. We have been given training on how to use it, and it means so much to us. The men will feel more safe and will be more mobile, they will be able to go further inside a fire and for longer with the new equipment."

Zbigniew Bury, also a part time firefighter, said: "I became a firefighter because I wanted to help people. Now things will be safer and we will be more confident, we may be able to help more people because of the training and the equipment."