Firefighting Student on Family Legacy and Saving Lives

The family of Veronika Titinkina from Moscow has a huge number of saved lives to its credit. Many years ago, her great-great-grandfather served in the fire service and rescued people from fires without any dispatchers, radios, or thermal cameras. He started a whole dynasty of firefighters, which is continued by Veronika«s father, her older brothers, and recently by the girl herself: last year she decided to enroll in the V.M. Maksimchuk Technical Fire and Rescue College.

Her father worked for many years as deputy head for material and technical support in the 29th Fire and Rescue Squad for the Northern Administrative Okrug, and now teaches at the same college; Veronika«s older brothers serve in Moscow units of the Ministry of Emergency Situations (EMERCOM).

The girl herself cannot work in a fire brigade because it is prohibited for women in Russia. Most likely, she will become a dispatcher or a fire engineer. On the eve of Student«s Day, we talked with Veronika about the importance of her future profession and simple rules that save lives.

— What is the specialty you are studying?

In fire safety, there are different sectors. Some people extinguish fires, and others create fire safety plans in homes or institutions, check them. I won«t be able to extinguish fires, so I will work as a dispatcher who takes calls, or design fire safety plans. Generally, in college, there are more guys than girls — about 70% to 30%.

— Why did you choose this path?

My dad and brother work in this profession, and since childhood, I know everything about it, I like it. In the family, my decision was supported. I was told that I can go wherever I want, but I enrolled in fire safety too. Of course, there was a choice, and I came here.

Further, I would like to work and study by correspondence in the same specialty. Higher education is needed for professional development, because after college, they don«t always allow designing buildings, although they teach this here too.

— What is the most interesting thing in your studies?

We studied different emergency situations and how people experienced them, what they did. We studied theory and looked at what kinds of fires there are, how they are extinguished. These are either real cases or schemes, for example, extinguishing a store. You need to understand what the action plan should be.

I even find myself automatically looking for evacuation plans in rooms, seeing where everything is, where the fire exits are.

— Do students train to extinguish fires?

Already in the second year, we start educational practice: we learn to put on firefighter«s combat clothing, correctly lay hose lines, and extinguish fires. Now I am only in the first year, so the college gives more theory, but from the second year, the guys will go to training extinguishings at fire stations — that»s where practice takes place.

As my brother told me, at first everything is unclear, and then you get used to it and understand what to do. When you have gained experience, everything is simpler. Any employee must understand what extinguishing fire is, because if you are responsible for safety, you must know it.

— Do you feel how important the profession of a firefighter is?

My brothers are firefighters, and I see from their example that they cannot treat their work negligently. Relatives told me that each time they experience a new sensation, each time something different happens. Sometimes an apartment catches fire, and sometimes — a forest. And each time you communicate with people, you need to calm them down and evacuate them. I think the hardest thing is when there are victims: then the firefighters themselves need psychological help. It«s hard to accept when you can»t save.

And here there is the responsibility of fire engineers. If you didn«t check the safety, then the sensor won»t recognize the fire, and the firefighters will be late. This will be your responsibility and your fault. If you checked everything, then you can avoid victims.

— Is it true that tragedies can be prevented by following simple rules?

Of course. For example, in school, you need to regularly check the fire alarm, conduct training evacuations. This is very important because if a real fire occurs and the alarm doesn«t work, it can lead to fatalities. Checks are very important, they cannot be skipped.

Generally, most fires happen due to people«s inattention. At home, it»s worth checking your actions: did you turn off the gas and lights, did you unplug household appliances from the socket.

— Please tell us, as a bonus for our readers, what we definitely don«t know about firefighting? Something unexpected, interesting.

For extinguishing railway tracks, there is a special fire train. For example, a train has stopped: something caught fire there, you can«t drive a car there, and then the power is turned off from one side, and from the other, a fire train approaches.

Earlier we told about what the main state exam (OGE) will be like in 2026. New rules are supposed to help fill the shortage of workforce and reduce the number of teenagers «dropping out» of the education system.