I. Metshin: “The special firefighting regime is the common responsibility of all Kazan residents”

(KZN.RU, April 23, Ksenia Shvetsova). A fire-dangerous season will begin from April 25 in the territory of Tatarstan. Forests, dense areas, private residential sector and collective gardens are primarily in the risk zone. Fines will be imposed for violation of fire safety rules in the conditions of a special fire regime. Ferdinand Timurkhanov, the head of the Civil Protection Directorate, announced this today at the staff meeting at the Executive Committee.

The number of fires increases in the spring. The main reasons are the burning of garbage and grass, uncontrolled bonfires, careless fire handling. According to F. Timurkhanov, there were 600 fires in Kazan in 2017, including 233 in the residential sector.

Fire safety measures must be followed For the period of the special firefighting regime. It is recommended to limit visits to forests, not to burn dead wood in residential areas bordering forests without preliminary digging and coordination with the forest ranger. The citizens also cannot build bonfires, conduct work using open fire in the territory of settlements in a dangerous season. Also, it is necessary to ensure the readiness of fire extinguishing appliances, to check the primary means of firefighting, to conduct additional briefings of officials, to test the ability to act in case of fire.

“At this time, you cannot burn dry grass and debris, cook food in the open air in the territory of Kazan. The ban on cooking does not only extend beyond the open fire but also on the braziers. Pyrotechnics should not be used in forest and park areas and territories bordering the forest”, the reporter noted. He reminded that violation of fire safety rules in the conditions of a special firefighting regime entailed the imposition of an administrative fine.

It is planned to organize patrolling in the most dangerous parts of the city. It is also recommended that residents of areas falling into the risk zone check the completeness of the fire shields, fill the existing tanks with water and ensure the unimpeded passage of fire equipment to water supply sources.

F. Timurkhanov also reminded that since March 1 of this year, new norms of the maintenance of sites adjacent to the forest have started to operate in Russia. Now, according to the law, it is necessary to clean the areas adjacent to the forest, on a strip not less than 10 meters wide from the forest after the snow has melted, or to separate the forest with a fire-resistant mineralized strip of at least 0.5 meter wide or other fire barrier, from dry grass and debris. This duty is placed not only on bodies of state power and local self-government but also on institutions, organizations, farms, public associations, private entrepreneurs and all citizens who own such territories.

In early March, a preliminary verification of the city's readiness for the fire-dangerous spring-summer period was held in Kazan. The employees of the Civil Protection Directorate together with the Department for Supervisory Activities and Preventive Work on the City of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the RF in the RT took part in it. Based on the results of the audit, administrations of all districts were recommended to strengthen work to ensure all fire safety standards, to create patrol preventive groups among administrators for patrolling in residential areas.

Ilsur Metshin, the Mayor of the city, urged the heads of districts to pay special attention to residential areas.

“The measures of a special firefighting regime, which is introduced in the city, are dictated to us by many years of experience. It is necessary to realize them as precisely as possible. I ask our colleagues, heads of all districts to conduct additional explanatory work with the population. It must be remembered that this is our common, shared responsibility”, concluded I. Metshin.