The work of firefighters is on the list of the most dangerous professions, and little is known about the life of rescue teams. It's time to fix this mistake.
What most people know about firefighters is the phone number to call the brigade, they ride a red car and extinguish the fire using hoses. Sufficiently scant information, so I had to find out everything firsthand, and for you - a few interesting facts about the risky work of the fire service.
1. Required rituals
Every day a new shift begins with mandatory procedures: a check of breathing apparatus, combat clothing and personal documents is conducted, which are necessary in case of tragic circumstances, in order to identify a person if he dies.
2. Long shifts
In most cases, firefighters work according to the scheme "a day in two", but in some teams people work 3-4 days in a row for 10-12 hours. If there is an emergency, the heroes can work without a break for more than a day.
3. The first fire brigade
It is believed that for the first time people formed brigades to extinguish fires in England, and this was the initiative of insurance companies that wanted to reduce losses in the event of disasters. It is not known exactly, but supposedly the first firemen appeared in 1722.
4. Women on a par with men
There was a stereotype that hard work can only be performed by men, but in reality the first woman to become a fireman was Molly Williams, who entered the service in the beginning of the XIX century. After a while, there were separate brigades, which included only representatives of the fair sex.
5. Why a fire bucket of a cone shape?
Today fire brigades are endowed with modern technologies that have made fire extinguishing more effective. Before this was not, and people used buckets of conical shape. They had two important advantages: the production of such equipment took little material, and when cast from it, not so much water poured out, so the fire was extinguished faster.
6. Unique shape
To make a suit for a fireman a special cloth is used, which is able to withstand temperatures up to 1200 ° C. In addition, it protects against the effects of concentrated acids and alkalis. Due to these properties firemen can save people from burning houses.
7. Required fire pole
At the rescue command post, the fire pole is not just for beauty. In fact, it is needed for the fastest descent from the second floor, as, as a rule, on the first floor of the building there are cars and equipment, and people are on the second floor. Six are used for about 140 years.
8. Heavy equipment
Work at firefighters is not only dangerous, but also heavy, and in the literal sense of the word, as they have to carry on themselves from 5 to 30 kg. It all depends on what the costume is made of, and what's included in the outfit. Given such high values, it is clear that the work of a firefighter is only suitable for physically trained people.
9. Time to get to the fire
According to a special statute, a fire brigade must reach the fire in the city within 10 minutes. As for the countryside, the time increases to 20 minutes. These segments are defined by the fact that during this time the fire is much slower to spread and it will be easier to extinguish it.
10. Properly folded things
When a signal is received that the fire has started, the brigade has only a few minutes to put it on, take the equipment and be in the car. To do this, they keep their things in a special way, for example, the pants are pre-twisted and put into boots.
11. Reserves of water
In the standard car is a tank, which accommodates 2 350 liters of water. If only one sleeve is connected, then this volume will be consumed in 7.5 minutes. Each machine has a special pump designed to quickly replenish fluid reserves. It can be connected to a hydrant or to pump water from an open reservoir.
12. Discarding the beard and mustache
According to the rules, fire brigade workers should not have a lush beard and mustache, but also refuse to pierce the face. This ban is due to the fact that during work they may need an oxygen mask, which should fit tightly to the face, and vegetation and various ornaments will prevent it.
13. The punishment for firefighters
If a person burns, he can not get accusations, but the firemen themselves can be under investigation. After the fire is extinguished, a team of investigators comes to the scene of the incident, which determine the source of the fire and constitute an act of legitimacy of firefighting. They assess whether the team worked correctly and whether they did not cause damage that could have been avoided.
14. Not only do fires extinguish
The work of fire brigades is more extensive than many think. They save people in different situations, for example, if they are stuck in an elevator or are under a collapsed house. Firefighters have different skills that they apply for one purpose - to preserve human life. In addition, they save animals.
15. Firefighters - volunteers
In many countries there are people who voluntarily join fire brigade teams. In most cases, they are organized where the government can not maintain a service. For example, in Chile there are more than ten thousand firefighters-volunteers who pay each month contributions and undergo special training. In some countries, only people with higher education can become firefighters.
16. Working on the touch
In the films about the work of firefighters show how they dexterously move around the burning building and find the victims or the way out, but in real life it's the opposite. In a burning house, because of the smoke, nothing can be seen at all, and because of the loud crackling of the flames nothing is heard, even screaming people. In such situations, in no case should you remove the mask, otherwise the fireman may suffocate. Therefore, rescuers move in burning rooms almost to the touch.
17. Four-footed assistants
Ever since the time when firefighters worked on horses, the brigade included dogs, and it was necessarily the Dalmatians. This breed is fearless, and it is easy to learn. Dalmatians lived together with horses, because it was believed that animals needed good communication for good work. Dogs of this breed have become a certain symbol of firefighters, but today animals and other breeds are attracted to the service. Their main task is to search for people, because they can find victims, when a person does not have such an opportunity, for example, with a strong fog.
18. Fire superstitions
If you want to wish firefighters luck, for this it is customary to say "dry sleeves", but this is due to the fact that the extinguishing is carried out through a pipeline called the "fire hose" and if it remains dry, then there was no fire. According to another note, firefighters never say goodbye to each other by the hand and do not want "good night" to not meet at the site the same day. In addition, according to statistics, during the full moon, the number of fires increases, which also has some mystical connotation and generates superstition.