Forest Fires Threatens Nuclear Center in Sarov

Planes Be-200 and helicopters of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of RF extinguish fires near to the nuclear center in Sarov. Smoke pollution and poor visibility are the most difficult things. For example, aviation of the Ministry of Emergency Situations works in Sarov under coordinates. There is no water body in the region from where it will be possible to take water, therefore they use mostly helicopters and mass air-raids. Three-four planes localize the fire, then helicopters support already localized square of burn-up.

"We are helpless without aviation. The plane copes with the square firemen need to work days. Aviation of the Ministry of Emergency Situations has worked more than 600 hours in places of fire having thrown water and more than 300 hours for monitoring of the situation", - RIA "News" transfers the words of the specialist of the Ministry of Emergency Situations.

However the head of Rosatom Sergey Kirienko called fire situation on the east-west side of perimeter of the federal nuclear center in Sarov difficult but controllable.

"There's no threat to the objects of nuclear center. Including ecological threat and the threat of explosion", - Kirienko stressed.

At that he informed that about 3 thousand people were engaged in fire fighting including thousand of employees of the federal nuclear center, 600 volunteers gathered by domestic armies and ministry of defense, 400 soldiers of Mulinsk garrison. The head of Rosatom reminds that about 30 fire trucks are "on the way", as well as heavy technique.

- Well, if Mr. Kirienko says soothing words, it means that we should be ready to the worst, - editor-in-chief of FORUM.msk Anatoly Baranov considers. - We remember his soothing words in 1998 year - then everything also was "under control"? If everything "is ok", then why fire-fighting aviation makes mass flights? What 3 thousand people including volunteers and soldiers do there? Somehow the words of Mr. Kirienko don't add - yes, actually, it's enough to open small window in a flat and you will at once feel "reason to worry". There are unpleasant questions to Mr. Shojgu and Kirienko. For example, whence these 30 fire trucks are that they fail to reach Sarov? If it's so that within the limits of recent cut-offs of departmental fire-fighting crews the center in Sarov remained without own fire-fighting crew? Who should have controlled forestry round nuclear center that it burnt so suddenly - if nobody could guess it could happen so?

Readers of FORUM.msk, by the way, expressed some thoughts about causes of catastrophic unpreparedness of authorities to the problems of forest fires. Here you are, for example:

Guilt of authorities in fires of the year is doubtless (certainly, we mean federal, not local authorities).

1. "Forest Code" of 2007 eliminated forest guards and aviation forest service.

2. Terrible "air code", permissions to carry out flights (Russia, South Korea and what else?), Federal Aviation Rules demanding each operator to have inspectors and so on, as a result there's no possibility to have and exploit legally (commercial worthlessness) one-two pieces of small aircrafts (helicopter, agricultural and fire helicopters), as a result we have absence of small aircrafts as a class, by the way in the USSR there were plenty of them, they were used for fire extinguishing and reveal of fire sources.

3. Remove of aviation of the Ministry of Emergency Situations abroad (Portugal, Spain, Greece).

4. Lobbing of non-existing domestic producer of small (with small engines) aircrafts. New Airtractor АТ-802 throws off 3000 liters of fire-extinguishing substance for one flight, the cost of the plane is 1500000 dollars. Every region could allow not one piece of such plane, idea will be suppressed by bureaucrats - see before.

5. Unallowably late attraction of the army to fire extinguishing. It's like in anecdote: boss is on vacations and only he can order.

6. Blackout of consequences of the fire and absence of adequate propaganda.

- The threat to the strategic objects from forest fires only seems fantastic, - Anatoly Baranov reminds. - Base of aeronautic depot of the Navy of RF situated near Kolomna of Moscow region has already burnt, at that responsible persons from the Ministry of Defense managed to "reject" this info...

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From editorial board: At the very end of October last year, that is 9 months ago Sergey Shojgu declared that he is not pleased with condition of departmental fire service in the Ministry of Transportation, Ministry of Industry and Trade, Ministry of Energy and a number of other departments.

"The number of fire-proof trains has been reduced on the railway. They stay idle, there's no personnel", - S.Shojgu declared at the session of the governmental commission where the question of condition of departmental fire service in a number of the Russian ministries and departments was discussed.

S.Shojgu noticed that on railway junctions where people live nobody controls fire safety, earlier it was provided by means of departmental fire service of the Ministry of Transportation.

Speaking about situation with fire protection on air carriers the head of the Ministry of Emergency Situations said: "Periodically we are on the verge of closing of a number of airports due to the problems with fire safety provision".

After the hearing of the report of the deputy director of the Department of Minitry of Industry and Trade Sergey Kosov who, also referring to financial problems, told about complexities of maintenance of fire safety and absence of departmental fire service on objects of ministry S.Shojgu declared: "We know that there's nothing there". Thus the head of the Ministry of Emergency Situations noticed that departmental fire service on Kazan helicopter factory has been in general reduced. The minister paid attention to the fact that prices for the goods produced there were increased twice but there are no means for fire protection there.

The head of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia acted with sharp critics of condition of fire-prevention service in the state natural reserves and also in national parks and other specially protected natural territories and woods of federal value. "It is necessary to analyze during a month condition of services of fire protection of natural reserves and national parks and to give objective report. It is necessary to check up the condition of technique there, if there are personnel there and so on", - S.Shojgu said.

S.Shojgu declared that this year the department was given 24,7 million roubles for purchase of the technique for maintenance of fire safety in national parks and state natural reserves, it is necessary to check up, as he said, how much effectively these means were used. Thus the head of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia stated satisfaction with those changes which occurred in respect of maintenance of fire safety in Federal agency of forestry. "I am pleased that the qualitative step in questions of increase of a level of work in respect of maintenance of fire safety of woods is taken", - S.Shojgu said...

As they say without comments...

А.B.