Russian Holidays - Fire Protection Day

Russian firefighters traditionally celebrate their professional holiday on April 30 On this day, it is customary to reward workers in the field with medals, certificates, letters of gratitude, as well as promotions and new titles The indispensable attributes of the holiday are public congratulations, concerts and memorial evenings The first fire watch went into service back in the 16th century, during the reign of Ivan III Tsar Ivan the Terrible obliged every resident of the country to have available means at home to extinguish fires “Combat” fire brigades appeared under Peter I Their “working” tools included buckets, pipes, hooks, spears and axes April 30 is the date of publication of the “Order on the City Deanery,” the author of which was Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich In the 17th century, he established a round-the-clock duty of firefighters, and clearly defined their functionality - to immediately extinguish fires and strictly monitor compliance with the fire safety code Firefighters had the right to take harsh punitive measures against violators and initiators of “fiery bacchanalia” The arsonists faced criminal liability for their actions The royal order imposed a number of taboos: it was forbidden to heat baths in the summer unless absolutely necessary, and to light fires in wooden buildings Cooking food was only allowed in the courtyards During a fire, houses close to the fire were to be demolished However, the law had a loophole for the rich: if they were willing to pay, firefighters were obliged to protect houses from fire It was done like this: the archers placed shields made of bull skin around the house and continuously poured water on them The first fire brigade appeared not in a large city, but in the Tver province Until the middle of the 19th century, fire patrols included only staff members of the military department However, after the introduction of compulsory military service, any citizen could become a firefighter Moreover, his new professional path freed him from military service In 1918, Lenin signed a decree “On the organization of measures to combat fire” Among the main objectives of the document was the adoption of measures to prevent fires At the turn of the millennium, Yeltsin signed a decree officially establishing Firefighter Day, which was set for April 30 • In Ancient Rus' they firmly believed that the place where lightning struck and a fire broke out was sacred Therefore, it was forbidden to extinguish it with ordinary water; it was allowed to extinguish the fire only with milk • The first fire truck appeared in St Petersburg The emergency service, consisting of 10 people, moved around the city in a miracle car at a speed of 15 km/h • The first fire brigade appeared in England Its “father-creators” were insurers who were interested in reducing damage from fires For personal financial gain, they created the first fire extinguishing services • Who and when invented the hydrant is unknown The patent for it burned down in a fire • Frenchman Muron received the most severe punishment for a series of arson attacks A 16-year-old teenager who turned out to be a long-liver spent 100 years and 1 day behind bars The time it takes for a firefighter to assemble for departure is exactly 1 minute, the volume of “water reserves” in the fire truck is about 2,300 liters The best parting advice before going on duty is “dry sleeves!”