This October, Moscow Fire Department #11 located in Zelenograd turned 45. It is the oldest fire department of the city which extinguished more than 5 thousand fires and saved over 200 lives.

Among institutions the department is responsible for are the prefecture of Zelenograd, a high-rise business center, two hospitals, a church,  a recreation center, several factories, etc.

‘Fire Department Specialized in Conflagration Type of Fire #11′.

The crew numbers over 90 firefighters; 90 % of them are certified rescuers. 13 firefighters have been presented with ‘rescue’ awards, and 4 received ‘bravery in a fire’ awards.

There are 4 fire teams in the fire department and each one has its own fire trucks and specialization.

The fire bluster tank truck is the first to arrive at any fire.

That is why only most experienced firefighters are allowed to work with it.

The truck has a 3200-liter tank, a fomer, a firewater monitor and a pipe.

It is more than just a tank truck because it is literally stuffed with all kinds of emergency rescue equipment.

It has a lot of space and even a firefighter in his 30-35 kilogram outfit feels comfortable in there.

An older version of the fire bluster tank truck, the so called a fire hose/pump vehicle. It has a 1000-liter foamer and a fire hose/pump storage bay.

Naturally, fire ladders carry no water either. The ladder may reach the 10th-12th floor and at the same time, the vehicle is pretty compact. It also has a petrol generator which enables the firefighter use any electric tool.

The other day they received a new 55-meter fire ladder equipped with a lift.

This vehicle is equipped with a smoke sucker and a generator. It is the only vehicle of its type in the city.

This ‘bus’ carries searchlights, extension cords, additional air cylinders, etc.

These fire bluster tank truck and fire ladder are maintained in operating condition, although they have been replaced with newer vehicles.

This Ford Transit transports the management team.  In the trailer there is a 230-kilowatt portable power station.

Movable control stations of the prefecture of Zelenograd.

This is an armoured shield which protects firefighters from explosions.

Uniforms are kept on special shelves. Firefighters have 25 seconds to put it on.

Here they store additional fire hoses.

Here they wash them up.

They dry fire hoses out in this tower.

Firefighters begin their workday at 9 a. m. with checking their equipment.

Accepting new equipment, each firefighter checks its functionality with the help of a special tool and sand glass.

These are two masks (one for the firefighter and the other one for the victim) and an air cylinder.

In this room firefighters study.

The room is equipped with a film reader for firefighters to watch training films.

‘Technical Characteristics of Fire Trucks and Aggregates’.

Give way to special transport!

The fire department also has a kitchen, a recreation room, a gym, and shower rooms.

In the gym, they keep awards which they’ve won at different contests.

Recently they began to reconstruct the department and the first thing to be reconstructed is the sports ground.

Pay attention to this ‘fence’. It is made of a fire hose.

Chief of Fire Department

These are some presents given to firefighters by children from schools and kindergartens who came here for excursions.

This award has been presented to Chief of the Department

Deputy Chief. He, just like his boss, started his career as a regular firefighter.

Helmets. Each figure depict on the helmet corresponds to the position of its owner: triangle to deputy chief; square to chief…

Central Fire Communication Center and Gas and Smoke Protection Service of Zelenograd are situated in the fire department.  Two dispatchers work here on a twenty-four-hour basis.

These screens show necessary information. They plan to equip it with GLONASS in future.

This is a database of all socially significant objects of the city, such as schools, hospitals, kindergartens, etc., equipped with a fire alarm.

The dispatcher has more duties than one may think. Apart from handling phone calls, he/she should carry out a preliminary analysis and decide which team should be sent to extinguish the fire; if necessary, the dispatcher should send additional fire trucks.

Dispatchers working in fire departments are under surveillance by the chief dispatcher from Moscow who can any minute give a practice fire alarm to see if the department is well prepared.

Fire trucks’re leaving the department because they’ve just received a call from a woman claiming that she saw smoke coming out her apartment.

Later in turned out to be a false alarm.

They record phone conversations and videotape everything that’s going on in the department and keep it for half a year in case someone files a claim or something.

The main duty of workers of Gas and Smoke Protection Service is to provide all the three fire departments of Zelenograd with working air cylinders.

Pumping the air into cylinders. In this room they maintain special microclimate.

At night dispatchers sleep by turn, for 4 hours each.

Filled cylinders and mask hermeticity get checked on special equipment.

Location: Zelenograd

via starina-chuk