"Silver" firefighters

Forestry Enterprise" of Chernihiv region won "silver" in the competition of the Society of Foresters of Ukraine for the best fire activity of the state enterprise for 2020. However, as Chernihiv residents admit – this is "silver" for them by weight of gold. Although the forestry enterprise is civilian, they rightly call themselves "military". After all, next to the lands of the forestry military training grounds and parts of the training center "Desna". This imposes a huge imprint and responsibility on foresters. So, what recipe for success and what novelties are used in the SE "Ostersky Military Forestry" in the fight against the fire element, we were told by its director, scientist, rationalizer, Candidate of Agricultural Sciences Volodymyr Brayko.

When I headed the forestry enterprise in August 2017, the situation was deplorable. On paper - five forestries, and "in fact"... Fire equipment includes only ZIL-131 tanker truck, which is already 45 years old, and a fire module based on GAZ-66. Another fire truck lived in the garage. We had to start very fast reforms. Instead of five forestries, three "living" were created – with a uniform distribution of area and personnel, – says Volodymyr Brayko. – We had to rebuild the infrastructure. For example, in our Karpylivka forestry, we built service rooms from scratch, in particular, household premises, equipped with fire equipment and equipment. On the territory of this particular forestry there are military training grounds, training is constantly ongoing, so fire safety should be here at the highest level.
All equipment was equally distributed among these three forestries. In the forestry itself we have created a base, from where, if necessary, provid transport and technical means to the forestry. It was on this base that cars and other equipment were restored. Some of us also put
on wheels from scratch.
In parallel, they took another very important step. This is a theoretical training of personnel on combating forest fires and other emergencies that may arise in natural conditions. The heads of forestries, engineers, forest masters, state forest guard studied. I studied, too. In total, the forestry enterprise employs 75 employees. Of these, 20 are the state forest guard. There is also a voluntary fire brigade, which includes 48 employees. I want to note our employees: Roman Karamel, Volodymyr Shyshenko, Artem Shamraev, Anatoliy Zhabynets. I am sincerely grateful to them all and proud that I work in such a well-coordinated, friendly, strong and combative team.

What exactly have your employees studied and studied as part of this special course?
Of course, the training of forest specialists necessarily involves studying the protection of forests from fires. But we went deeper. From the basics we disassembled what a fire is, what are the chemical processes and bases of combustion, what natural and man-made substances and materials are the most flambre and vice versa and why. Even many of our experienced employees, having more than one year of service behind us, learned about such subtleties for the first time. Be sure to learn the psychology of human behavior in an emergency – what is possible and what absolutely can not be done, how to overcome confusion, fear, panic. They also studied how to provide pre-hospital assistance to the victims.
We studied what a forest fire is – grassroots, horse, signs, threats, scale of damage. How to detect it in time, localize and finally extinguish it, tactics of action. How to distinguish the arson of dry grass from a large-scale fire. Causes and prevention. What to do if it was not possible to immediately extinguish the fire? Algorithm of actions if trouble occurred in the lands of other forestry enterprises. Algorithm of staff gathering in case of forest fire and emergency. Many classes were conducted by pyrologist, professor of NUBIP Sergiy Zibtsev. We studied Ukrainian and world experience. In 2019, our forestry enterprise visited at the invitation of Mr. Zibtsev chairman of the Global Center for Fire Monitoring Johan Georg Goldammer. This experience is simply invaluable. He praised the level of training of our employees, especially efficiency, noting that the voluntary team is at a level. Of course, in addition to theory, there is practice. Constant training, training with the participation of rescuers, military, other structures and authorities. Training anxieties, staff gatherings and so on. This is also an integral part of good staff training.

And how did your team restore special equipment to fight forest fires?
What interesting samples of equipment are currently in service? – Yes, I told you above that I started with three cars, one of which was faulty. But now, thanks to hard work, we already have 14 cars and tractors adapted to extinguish forest fires. I am sincerely grateful to the head of the garage Mykola Troyan, electric welder Yevhen Lanovts, senior master Oleksandr Mynenko for all the efforts they have made.
We had an old "GAZ" – an assenizator that was already preparing to hand over for scrap metal. But thanks to the golden hands of our masters, this is now a powerful tank with a pump. There was an old trailer from KamAz. The guys repaired it, installed a tank with a capacity of 11 cubes and a pump. 11 cubic meters of water is a capacity of three fire trucks at once. Now this trailer can be attached to any heavy machine or forestry and go to where the fire is raging. Fire trucks can be filled with water from the tank and extinguish the fire yourself. At the command and staff exercises and in battle, these cars and mechanisms worked perfectly!
Old trilling tractor "TDT-55" also more than 40 years old, lived its age on the farm. The guys overhauled the engine and chassis, made protective plays on the cockpit, "shoe" new caterpillars. Installed in front of a powerful strong shovel-kovsh, as on an army heavy tractor. We worked on it for three months. As a result, we have a super-powerful all-terrain vehicle that can quickly burn through a mineralized strip, clear the rubble of branches or tree trunks for the entrance of fire engines, and transport the crew to where fire trucks will not be able to get. For example, to peat thyroughs. Now we are still improving it, I want to install a tank and a pump. It will be like a kind of fire tank.
We still have containers clinging to the trailer to ordinary tractors. Their capacity is 4.5 cubic meters. m of water. So much water is usually carried by two fire trucks. In case of trouble, almost all of our equipment can perform fire functions. There are now two fire engines directly. One 1985, the other 1974 year of release. Both are on the go, fully equipped and equipped. They are durable and reliable. We equipped them with fire hoses with a diameter of 38 and Korean controlled brandspots. There are also eight motorcycles to patrol the forest guard. "UAZ"-"Farmers" were also adapted to extinguish small fires.

What other means of fighting forest fires does your team use?
There are 11 fire reservoirs in our land. All of them are filled with water, there are paved paths for quick access of fire engines. And we have installed large capacity tanks in places where there are no reservoirs. These tanks are always filled with water. This is our untouchable stock. In case of trouble, firefighters can quickly refuel there, and not look for distant sources of water supply somewhere.
There are two observation towers 48 meters high. One is in desna, the other in the same Karpylivka forestry. From there, monitoring is underway around the clock. All information from video cameras is transmitted to each forestry and forestry administration, where our employees are constantly on duty. We plan to install the third tower. Visibility from each tower is about 15-20 kilometers. Therefore, we have the opportunity to monitor the situation in the lands of our colleagues. According to azimuth, you can accurately determine the coordinates of the place where the fire occurred.
Each of our employees has an electronic land card on their mobile phone, and there is a GPRS sensor. Therefore, in the event of an emergency, we see the place where the fire occurred, and we can promptly direct all forces and means there. There are 40 radio stations for operational communication and special "alarm" wounds with first aid kits and auxiliary equipment. In each forestry there are also pumps, boys, shantseve tool, etc., where our employees are constantly on duty. We plan to install the third tower. Visibility from each tower is about 15-20 kilometers. Therefore, we have the opportunity to monitor the situation in the lands of our colleagues. According to azimuth, you can accurately determine the coordinates of the place where the fire occurred.

The level of staffing of your enterprise is really impressive. But it did cost you a penny?
Over the past three years, we have spent a total of one million hryvnias on fire equipment and repairs. All at the expense of our company. Yes, it is quite expensive and difficult. But the damage from even a small fire is much greater and worse than these costs. You can't save here. Because the forest is extremely valuable at stake, and most importantly – the life and health of our employees. By the way, they are all insured.

Do you work in such extreme conditions only in the warm season?
No. In fact, the fire danger period with us lasts all year round. Because even in winter, in cold weather without snow, our pine forests have high dry grass. Our forests are bordered by five villages, in particular, quite large, and the village of Desna, a military town. By the way, in case of trouble, we go on fire to the settlements. On January 1, 2020, there was a fire in a village that is geographically closer to us than to the local rescue unit. Our guys left and extinguished the fire. And now we will add snowy winters, dry summers and autumn, drying of reservoirs and rivers.
Training is constantly ongoing at the military training ground, in particular, with combat shooting. Therefore, we are ready both in winter and in summer. During the three years of my leadership, almost 120 fires of various kinds were extinguished in the forestry enterprise – forest, peat, near settlements. Many fires occurred during military exercises or shootings. By the way, the threat was also projectiles that did not explode. Unfortunately, since 2017, the
fire has destroyed and damaged a total of 58 hectares of forest. No wonder I always say that we live and work like a tub with gunpowder.

I sincerely thank the Director of the State Enterprise "Stanytsia Luhanska DLMG" Sergiy Chyhrynets for his assistance in evacuating the car and the indifferent agricultural producers of Agrofirma. That's how life proved true to the path we chose and which we are now confidently following. Anatoliy MELNYK, photo by Mykola TYSHCHENKO, press service of Chernihiv OLMG.