Yuri, Valery, Dimitri, Yevgeni and Sveltana make up the fire brigade unit of one of the districts of Mykolaiv, a port city in southern Ukraine located near the front line, on the road to Kherson, and now under the fire of the Russian bombardments.
Organized, disciplined and professional, Mykolaiv’s firefighters have had no additional training to face the new challenges that this high-intensity war poses. “We have to do the work. We just have to get used to and adapt to this kind of situation”, explains Yuri, the captain of the unit. According to him, the war changed their way of working. “We have to constantly clear rubble, and there are often explosives that have not gone off. In addition to acting on the ground, firefighters try to educate the population. “For example, a man had put an unexploded missile in the trunk of his car… and it exploded. During the interview, the roar of explosions echoed nearby. “It’s outward,” Yuri asserts calmly. “I have confidence in our army. Of course, the bombardments alert us and disturb us. But I don’t think the Russians will be able to get this far and take this town. I’m sure they can’t. »
Yuri, 32, captain of the unit. He has 15 years of experience, but Yuri had to adapt to the new rules related to war. “After a bombardment, we always wait 10-15 minutes before the command room gives us the order to go to the scene,” explains Yuri. We avoid the risk of a second bombardment if we are on the spot. Gloomy, the fire chief smiles again when he talks about his family whom he managed to bring to safety in the region of Lviv, the big city in the west of the country, still preserved from the fighting. But also several people from Mykolaiv and its region whom he managed to evacuate to the west. “Even if the number of calls increases, and that the work is more and more agonizing, we must not dwell on the consequences of the war, otherwise we would go crazy. You have to leave feelings behind,” he concludes.
Valery, 33, firefighter for 13 years. “We help ease residents’ spirits,” he says. Before adding: “I feel that I help. If they need food or water, I participate in the distributions. We inform them of the consequences of the bombardments, or of the possible collapses of their buildings. We tell them that it is essential not to touch the mines or the unexploded missiles. We help them know what to do in this kind of situation, because people have never experienced this. Sometimes they touch rubble they shouldn’t go near. We have to repeat simple things over and over again, like turning off the electricity or the gas when they’ve been hit. [par un bombardement]. »
Dimitri, 31, has been a firefighter for 9 years. He is a lieutenant of this Mykolaiv unit, located not far from the front line. “Since the start of the war, there have been more fires and houses collapsing,” he explains. We work the same hours, but there are more of us. We went from 2-3 calls a day to 4 or more. »
Yevgeni, 25, has been a firefighter for 8 years. It is a family tradition that he perpetuates: his father, now retired, worked in the same station. “Since the beginning of the war, I feel even more that people need me. Their lives depend on my quality work. »
Sveltana, 47, has worked at this station for 28 years. It is she who receives the calls from the central and who sends the firefighters to the scene. They are in all four women to work in this base. But Sveltana is the only one on this guard — there is one per guard. “My job has changed a lot, as we get a lot more calls. There are those who call when they find an unexploded missile, those who call because they can’t reach an ambulance. I feel so responsible to the people. It’s a mutual attachment, I can’t leave it, because my job is with people, it’s a commitment. »