Milwaukee firefighter evacuates Ukrainians

MILWAUKEE - A firefighter from our area decided he couldn't sit by and watch what was happening in Ukraine, so he started a nonprofit and assembled a team of volunteers. Since April, he's helped rescue more than 100 people in the country.

Nicholas Shaw created the foundation Global Augmentation. The group is doing everything from evacuating refugees to dropping off supplies in the war-torn country.

They are intense moments on the ground in Ukraine that few Americans have experienced. For Shaw, help like this has become his life's work.

"Somebody has to do something," said Shaw. "We can’t just sit by and watch it just happen."

Nicholas Shaw

The local firefighter, EMT and Navy veteran decided when the war began he needed to help. He brought together a team of volunteers whom he met through another group and traveled to Ukraine.

"We went directly into Kiev and purchased a van and started supply drops down to Odessa, Mykolaiv," said Shaw. 

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His nonprofit is made up of people from all over the world, many with military and first responder backgrounds. They've dropped off supplies and evacuated more than 100 people in some of the hardest-hit areas of the country.

"Humanity needs help right now as a whole," said Shaw. 

In April, Shaw traveled for three weeks. He will be back soon, but others are still on the ground. The group is need of more support.

"We need supplies, any type of medical supplies, wound vacs, hemostatic dressings, QuikClot," said Shaw. 

Shaw wants to keep Ukraine in the spotlight, trying to help as many as he can.

"Hopefully, this doesn’t get to the backburner and be forgotten," said Shaw. 

Shaw's group is in Ukraine by invite from the country. He says this is not something people should be doing without some sort of military background because it's just not safe.