Friday, 17 September 2021

Civil Protection Day. Fire Stations and Watchtowers

Workers of the fire-and-rescue service mark their professional holiday twice a year: 17 April is the Day of Fire Protection, and 17 September is Rescuer's Day. On these solemn days, congratulations are received by people ready to risk their lives in the struggle with the fiery element, by veterans of the fire service, and by the teachers and students of specialised colleges. Also on these days, commemorative events are held in honour of those who died in the line of duty. Excursions to the sites of fire stations and ascents of the observation towers have become a tradition of the celebrations. Let us too take a walk to a few of Ukraine's fire-and-rescue stations and get acquainted with their history.

Cherkasy. Fire-and-rescue station No. 2. Kavkazka St., 237

The buildings of a fire station are intended for organising the extinguishing of fires and emergency-rescue work.

Vorokhta. Ivano-Frankivsk region. The fire station

Kalush, Ivano-Frankivsk region. Fire-and-rescue station No. 2. Yevshana St., 28

In the 19th century, fire watchtowers were built atop the two- or three-storey buildings of police precincts. These lookout towers, from which everything could be seen as if in the palm of one's hand, were used to keep watch over the towns.

Khodoriv, Lviv region. Fire-and-rescue station No. 2. Hoholia St., 4

The sentry, on seeing smoke, would ring a bell; each district had its own individual alarm. In the event of a fire, and to notify the other watch posts, flags of a certain colour or leather balls were hoisted on the tower during the day, and lanterns at night.

Druzhkivka, Donetsk region. Fire-and-rescue station. Soborna St., 2

The number of signalling devices depended on the scale of the blaze. Once the fire was out, the hoses were dried on the watchtower.

Khodoriv, Lviv region. The fire tower

Monitoring of the forest massifs is carried out from specially equipped observation towers.

"Sviati Hory" National Nature Park. Donetsk region.

Radenske Forestry. Kherson region.

For extinguishing fires at railway stations, fire trains are assembled, equipped with communications and a source of electricity.

A fire train. Railway station Pokrovsk, Donetsk region.

The complex of fire-station buildings includes a depot for fire engines, stores for keeping fire-fighting equipment and tools, and quarters for the firefighters.

Yaremche, Ivano-Frankivsk region. The fire-and-rescue station

Rakhiv, Zakarpattia region. The fire-and-rescue station

New York, Donetsk region. Fire-and-rescue station. Sadova St.

The buildings of fire stations are artistically designed; many of them have a glorious history and the status of an architectural monument.

Kalush, Ivano-Frankivsk region. An artistic panel on the fire-station building

The fire station in Dnipro on the Batalion "Dnipro" Boulevard was built in 1891 at the governor's suggestion and to the design of Ferdinand Hagen.

Dnipro. Fire-and-rescue station. Batalion "Dnipro" Boulevard, 2

This was already the second fire station in the city, and it consisted of a fire watchtower, stables, a hay barn, and wooden outbuildings. The firefighters were part of the mounted-police teams and were subordinate to the police, which was also housed in this building.

Dnipro. Fire-and-rescue station. Batalion "Dnipro" Boulevard, 2

In the casemates of the police station, in 1902, the arrested rebel-revolutionary I. V. Babushkin was held. His comrades passed the prisoner some bread with a saw hidden inside, and the organiser of the struggle for the working class's freedom spent several weeks sawing through the bars until he got out of prison. In these same torture chambers, 8 participants of the Horlivka uprising of 1905 were executed.

Dnipro. Commemorative plaque about the events of 1905-1909

The history of the fire service of the whole region can be explored at the fire-and-rescue service exhibition, opened in this same building of Katerynoslav times. The display gathers helmets and uniforms, photographs of fire engines, and documents recounting the exploits of firefighters.

Dnipro. Exhibition of the fire-and-rescue service

One of the best museums of the fire-and-rescue service is located in Chernivtsi in a 1910 building with the status of an architectural monument, on Lesi Ukrainky Street, 3.

Chernivtsi. Museum of the fire-and-rescue service. Lesi Ukrainky St., 3

In the former premises of the fire society are displayed the instruments and implements of fire-fighting that were used in Bukovyna from the times of Austria-Hungary. In the Austrian era, tall men of robust health, without bad habits and with a good character, were accepted into the fire service. Candidates for the service had to love nature and people, so that at any moment they could protect them from the fiery element.

Chernivtsi. Fire-and-rescue station. Lesi Ukrainky St., 3

In the 19th century the Austrian government presented Chernivtsi with a pump engine. A model of this fire-fighting apparatus is set up on the grounds of fire-and-rescue station No. 1.

Chernivtsi. A pump engine on the grounds of the fire-and-rescue station

Sometimes the functions of a fire watchtower were performed by the buildings of town halls or other tall structures. In Vinnytsia since 1912, watch has been kept over the town's fire-safety situation from the upper tier of the water tower.

Vinnytsia. The 1912 water-supply tower served as a fire watchtower

A splendid four-tier fire watchtower with an openwork ornament was built in 1897 on the highest spot of Oleksandriia.

Oleksandriia, Kirovohrad region. Fire-and-rescue station. Pershotravneva St.

Archival documents attest that a fire brigade guarded the townsfolk from fire from 1798, but the building itself was wooden. In 1900, patrons added their own contributions to the funds from the city treasury, and a beautiful fire-depot building in the Ukrainian Baroque style appeared on the corner of the present-day Pershotravneva and Bratska streets. In 1987 the tower was adorned with a chiming clock with a round dial and Roman numerals. The personnel, headed by the detachment commander, look after this architectural gem of the Kirovohrad region's district centre, refresh the watchtower's appearance, and keep the clock mechanism in good order.

Oleksandriia, Kirovohrad region. Fire-and-rescue station. Pershotravneva St.

In the struggle against fire, a great deal depends on the head of the fire service. From 1763 until 1940, the post of head of a fire team was called brandmeister. Upon this master of fire-fighting rested the duty of ensuring compliance with fire-safety norms in the settlement and maintaining the readiness of the fire-fighting tools. The best of the best of the police staff were appointed to the post of brandmeister. In a dapper uniform and a polished, crested helmet, the chief would ride out solemnly on horseback.

Myropillia, Sumy region. Fire-and-rescue station. Kharkivska St., 1

In Mykolaiv in honour of the fire chief M. M. Svizhynsky, a memorial plaque has been placed on the building of fire-and-rescue station No. 2 on Navarynska Street, 13b.

Mykolaiv. Fire-and-rescue station. Navarynska St., 13b

Mykhailo Mykolaiovych spent his whole life in the fire service, raising his own professional level and that of his subordinates, seeing to it that the team was supplied with technical equipment, and initiating the creation of a workshop for repairing gear. This enterprising manager was a strict but responsive chief, attentive to his command staff.

Mykolaiv. Fire-and-rescue station. Commemorative plaque in honour of M. M. Svizhynsky

The work of firefighters is dangerous and difficult, and so, to counter the fiery element and save lives in an emergency, the coordinated actions of a team of like-minded people and collective cooperation are required.