A FORMER fire chief is preparing to answer an emergency call which will take him on a 5,000-mile mission to Afghanistan's war-torn capital Kabul.

Carl Sobota, from Thornley in County Durham, will be one of a four-man team delivering the beleaguered city's first fire engine.

The testing expedition, which will set off next Tuesday, is the latest mercy trip to be organised by Harrogate businessman John Shackleton.

It was after learning that there was not a single purpose-built fire tender in Kabul that Mr Shackleton, who has taken part on several journeys to other needy trouble spots, managed to buy an engine from the Merseyside brigade.

With the vehicle at the ready, he recruited the services of Mr Sobota and two other Harrogate volunteers, David Ward-Campbell and fire service mechanic Eric Kent.

"I used to work in Harrogate and while visiting one of my old stations I learned of the trip and volunteered to take part,'' said 54-year-old Mr Sobota, who moved to Thornley so his wife, Pat, could be near her family.

The retired fire officer, who now runs his own consultancy business, admitted yesterday that, though excited about the trip, he was also apprehensive.

All four of the team will drive on the journey through Germany, Italy, Greece and Turkey, where they hope to link up with a ferry to take them across the Black Sea.

"If we are unable to connect with the boat we will have to drive through Iran, and at the moment we are waiting for the necessary visas," said Mr Sobota.

En route to the war zone, the vehicle, which has been specially converted to carry hundreds of gallons of diesel, will stop off at an orphanage in Afghanistan to deliver dried food and medical supplies.

Once in Kabul, Mr Sobota will demonstrate how to use the vehicle and its extendable ladder system.

The four adventurers are also hoping to obtain a satellite phone to keep in touch with their families.

"Although we have organised everything we can, it will largely be a journey into the unknown - and what is still uncertain is how we will get back," said Mr Sobota.