Charity volunteers from Scotland are to deliver three fire engines to Serbia to help boost the country's ailing emergency services.
The machines are scheduled to leave Edinburgh on 3 May in a unique aid mission organised by Scottish charity Blythswood Care.
The seven volunteers will spend a week training people to use the equipment.
The vehicles include one from Fife, one purchased from Tayside and another from Lothian and Borders.
The fire engines are currently being fully serviced.
Blythswood Care said Serbia is in desperate need of fire engines with some response times stretching to hours.
The team driving the machines includes a doctor, a first-aid instructor, a mechanic and a transport manager.
Trauma training
Paul McNiven, a sports lecturer from Edinburgh's Telford College, is making the journey as part of Blythswood Care's Serbian Bulgarian Fire Appliance Project.
He said: "In April last year there was severe and sustained flooding from the river Danube and the main areas affected did not have a local authority fire service that was able to respond to the flooding.
"This meant that drinking water, homes, food supplies and any means of income had been destroyed with no state assistance to help people survive."
Former Fife firefighter Gary Bennett from Rosyth will also be making the journey.
Blythswood Care's logistics controller Finlay Mackenzie said: "When they get there, the team will provide a week's intensive training on the use of breathing apparatus and pumps and the use of cutting gear as well as trauma training.
"In part of the country, the nearest fire engine is four and half hours away""They will also set up an ongoing training programme."
Blythswood Care is looking for someone to sponsor the purchase of cutting equipment costing £400.
Mr Mackenzie added: "In Serbia there is a desperate need for fully fitted fire engines which can respond to serious road traffic accidents.
"In part of the country, the nearest fire engine is four and half hours away - and that is in the summer when the roads are negotiable.
"These engines will have cutting equipment and trauma equipment so that they can save lives on the spot."
The team will also be helped by the International Fire & Rescue Association and Operation Florian.
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