The Nature and People Foundation is helping to equip volunteer firefighters who are fighting peat fires in densely populated regions of central Russia with equipment that will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of firefighting.
Peat fires are among the most complex and dangerous natural fires. Smoldering peat fires can go deep and develop there, giving themselves away only by smoke. To extinguish them, it is usually necessary to pour a huge amount of water over the peat layers, mixing them thoroughly so that not even a small spark remains, from which the combustion can start again.
These fires are very dangerous for people. During the burning of peat, hazardous substances are abundantly formed: carbon monoxide, benzopyrene. The main danger is soot, particles of which settle in the lungs along with heavy metals and other harmful substances.
In April, volunteers already have been extinguishing peat fires in the Vladimir, Ryazan and Ivanovo regions. There was no snow in the winter, no water accumulated in the rivers and canals, and peat bogs catch fire from any source of fire. The volunteers already have an all-terrain vehicle, which allows them to move and transport firefighting equipment through the swampy areas of peat bogs. New rubber tracks will greatly improve its cross-country ability and allow it to move across open water. This equipment will help to put out the fire before the smoke from the burning peatlands reaches populated areas.
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