Aerial Forest Protection Service (Russia)

Awialessoochrana (Russian Авиалесоохрана, German: flight protection of forests and air surveillance of forests ) is the name of a Russian Special Forces Fire Brigade, the oldest and largest forest fire fighting unit in the world. The troop is responsible for the control of forest and steppe fires, protection against insect damage and other hazards in the entire Russian territory, in which at least a quarter of the world's forests are located and break out each year 20000-35000 fires.

About 4,000 firefighters, spread over 18 airfields and 340 smaller sites, serve in this force. The headquarters of the unit is located in Pushkin near Moscow. To use the units to be flown either with Mi -8 helicopters and they jump with parachutes from An-2 biplanes from. At a few locations they are supported by the local population. In remote areas, the use Awialessoochrana is the only unit that is able to fight the fires. Frequently fires in the vast expanses of Russia are also left to themselves.

History

The origins of Awialessoochrana in the 1920s. At that time people began to use them for cartographic aerial photographs and for monitoring of forest areas in the USSR aircraft. These flights also forest fires were detected repeatedly. This fact owed ​​the Awialessoochrana its inception in July 1931, eight years earlier than corresponding units in the United States.

Initially found first test flights for locating forest fires in the Nizhny Novgorod Oblast instead. The official first flight took place on July 7, 1931, the anniversary of the Awialessoochrana, place in a Polikarpov U-2. It took 1.5 hours. During the entire mission time of about 40 hours an area of ​​1.5 million hectares has been inspected and found 14 fire. In the following years, these flights were also in Karelia, carried out in the Urals and the Far East, and there was a large number of studies on whether and how the use of aircraft for fire-fighters could be optimized. One of the outcomes was the formation of the first 17 ​​equipped with parachutes fire Springer in 1935.

Until 1939, except in Nizhny Novgorod, opened yet another three air bases in Arkhangelsk, Perm and Krasnoyarsk and to controlling forest area increased, as well as the flight hours, steadily. At the beginning of World War II controlled 110 U-2 aircraft and 70 smoke jumpers an area of ​​109 million hectares. With the outbreak of hostilities between the German Reich and the Soviet Union in 1941, all the activities of Awialessoochrana were adjusted, and installed the pilots and airplanes at the front. Only a few years after the war, the work was continued. Thus was founded in 1951 in Moscow Chomjakowo at a school for regular training of fire jumpers. From 1952 An-2 Antonov took over the tasks of the U -2. However, in contrast to that of the An-2 was able to simultaneously carry some fire Springer on patrol flights that were used immediately when discovered fire. The effectiveness of the fire fighting when he increased significantly. The An-2 still form a large part of the aircraft fleet of Awialessoochrana. They are converted at the present time by installing more modern turboprop An- 3. Later, helicopters like the Mil Mi -1 and Mi-4 were added, which made the firefighters using winches to the ground or landed next to the fire. 1960 special jump suits were developed, thanks to which the smoke jumpers were sold directly through forest areas. Larger groups of fire jumpers were sold from multi-engine aircraft such as the Ilyushin Il -14, the An-26 or the large helicopter Mi-6. In the 1980s, this tactic has been increasingly used.

Until 1990, it leased the aircraft for the monitoring on various airlines that used the same airfields. In these times more than 8000 firefighters in Awialessoochrana, which thus was the largest fire department unit in the world. After the collapse of the Eastern bloc whose numbers dwindled due to the radical budget cuts in 4000. Too, the aircraft could no longer be hired and it originated from 1994 's aircraft fleet, whose aircraft were taken over by the also struggling with financial difficulties Aeroflot. Due to these limitations, the effectiveness of the fire fighting subsided dramatically. Thus, only about 40 % of all forest fires were located in the 2000s, only 19% of fire-fighting measures Awialessoochrana was involved. In the years 1972 and 2002, the most severe forest fires threatened the capital, Moscow, firefighters of Awialessoochrana were flown in from all over the country and had been instrumental in the successful fight the fires. 2001, the 70th anniversary of the first flight was committed. The unit had a very small budget (2001: 35 million euros ) get along. The equipment was often outdated and wages low. However, erased the firefighters fires within two days, they received a bonus payment.

2007, the responsibility for forest protection has been transferred to the regions, the bodies of the Awialessoochrana were accordingly under the responsibility of the regional authorities. The concomitant drastic reduction of funds for fire fighting has greatly increased the WWF 's view, the forest fire problem in Russia.

External links and sources

• Awialessoochrana ( Russian, English, Italian, Spanish)
• Avialesookhrana Information Server (Russian, English)
• Pictures of Awialessoochrana aircraft and helicopters (English)
• Pictures and more information ( English)
• Articles about Awialessoochrana on NationalGeographic.com (English)
• Red Skies in Siberia - documentation on the use of Awialessoochrana in Siberia.
• WWF: Inadequate forest management exacerbated Russian forest fire inferno