Governor Igor Rudenya awarded the best rescuers of the Upper Volga region and handed over new equipment to units

On April 26, a solemn event was held on Pozharnaya Square in Tver to mark the 375th anniversary of the formation of the Russian Fire Department, which will be celebrated on April 30. It was attended by Governor Igor Rudenya, Head of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia for the Tver Region Arsen Grigoryan, heads of regional departments of federal departments, personnel of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, veterans of the fire and rescue service and students of Tver cadet classes.

This was reported by the press service of the regional government.

“We are proud of the special role of the Upper Volga region in the development of the fire service in our country,” emphasized Igor Rudenya. – It was here, on Pozharnaya Square, that the first professional fire department in Tver was created 121 years ago. And 181 years ago, the country’s first voluntary fire brigade was formed in Ostashkov. Already in Soviet times, it was in our region that the first detachment of young firefighters in the RSFSR appeared. And, of course, today we remember the feat of Kalinin firefighters during the Great Patriotic War – they fought the enemy in the ranks of the Red Army, showed unparalleled courage and heroism when putting out fires after the bombings.”

The governor noted: today the specialists of the Ministry of Emergency Situations honorably continue the outstanding traditions of service.

“In the most difficult, sometimes extreme situations, risking your life, you show fearlessness and high professionalism. Thanks to your work over the past years, the number of fires in our region has significantly decreased. I would like to especially note your work in the new territories that became part of the Russian Federation. It is important that in your ranks today there are both young people and experienced mentors,” said Igor Rudenya.

The head of the region presented awards to the employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations.

For services to ensuring fire safety, significant personal contribution to organizing work to prevent and extinguish fires in the Upper Volga region, the Governor of the Tver Region awarded the Deputy Head of the Department of Supervisory Activities and Preventive Work for the Torzhok, Spirovsky and Kuvshinovsky Districts Vasily Shmelev with a Certificate of Honor.

The governor received commendations from:

• The commander of the separate post 61 fire and rescue unit of the 3rd fire and rescue squad Andrey Finashin;
• Senior instructor for driving a fire truck – driver of a specialized fire and rescue unit Stanislav Mareev;
• Employees of the Department of Fire Service, Protection of the Population and Territories of the Tver Region – firefighter of the 32nd security unit of the Kalyazinsky district Alexander Gorshkov and driver of the 47th fire department of the Sandovsky district Igor Krylov.

Igor Rudenya also handed over the keys to 8 units of official vehicles. New specialized fire and rescue equipment will be sent to regional units of the Ministry of Emergency Situations. Including, this is a unique self-propelled vehicle “Boatswain M” – a floating excavator from the Tver manufacturer, the Amphibia company. This is a 100% development of local specialists, which has no analogues in Russia, and only a few in the world.

“This is the first time such equipment has been supplied to us. A floating conveyor-excavator will allow extinguishing natural fires in hard-to-reach places in the shortest possible time and will ensure the supply of water to fires. This is a highly cross-country tracked vehicle that can reach water sources, including in swampy areas. It can also operate afloat, collect water and dredge the bottom,” said Lieutenant Colonel of the Internal Service Mikhail Myagkov, head of the specialized fire and rescue unit to which “Boatswain M” was handed over.

At the end, the event participants laid flowers at the monument to firefighters and rescuers. The bronze sculpture was installed in 2019 in the historical part of the capital of the Upper Volga region – on Pozharnaya Square. It was there that the first professional fire department of Tver, created in 1903, was located. Next to the monument there is a children’s playground, stylized as a young rescuer’s town.