"FIRE-2022": LARGE EXERCISE HELD IN THE ALMATY MOUNTAINS

14 октября 2022

Large-scale exercises were held in the Almaty mountains. They were attended by 150 rescuers. The mountainous region of the Zailiysky Alatau is considered the most visited, which is why there is a high risk of forest fires there, a Khabar 24 correspondent says. The season of natural fires in Kazakhstan opened in April of this year, but in the mountains it comes much later. Precipitation has been observed in Zailiysky Alatau in recent days. Above three thousand meters above sea level, there is still snow. But the weather here changes very quickly, and even a small fire of dry grass can cause a large-scale forest fire. Such cases occur every year. And extinguishing mountain fires is extremely difficult and costly, without aviation, a large number of people and special equipment is indispensable.

Talgat Aliyev, Deputy General Director of the State Enterprise "Kazavialesoohrana":

- This year, 12 forest fires have already occurred in the Almaty region. And about 90 forest fires on the territory of the state forest fund of Kazakhstan. We also have regions in Kazakhstan where dry thunderstorms occur, where thunderstorm fronts form, thunderstorms pass without precipitation, which leads to forest fires.

Kazavilesokhrana is engaged in constant aviation monitoring of the mountains. A patrol plane makes daily flights around the northern part of the Tien Shan. As a rule, when extinguishing a mountain fire, emergency services use all available forces and means. Therefore, not only firefighters, ROSO fighters and rescue services, but also foresters of the Ile-Alatu National Park took part in the exercises. And for the first time, new quadrocopters were used, which the rescuers got at the end of last year.

Grigory Bedenko, correspondent:

- The most recent acquisition of DES Almaty is three such industrial drones, which are produced by a Chinese company. This car is professional, there are several video cameras, there is a thermal imager and it can fly up to 8 kilometers, that is, it is an ideal tool for detecting fires in the mountains. As a rule, most natural fires occur due to human fault. Farmers arrange so-called agricultural burns - they burn last year's grass. In addition, vacationers often make fires and do not care to completely extinguish them.

Yerlan Alibekov, Deputy Head of the Department of Emergency Situations in Almaty:

- Together with the Ile-Alatau National Park, we conduct raids every Saturday and Sunday, stop the kindling of fires in the mountainous area. Since the beginning of the fire hazard period, we have brought 23 individuals to administrative responsibility. But, surprisingly, you don't have to start a fire to start a fire. It is enough just to throw an empty bottle into the grass. Its bottom refracts light like a lens. There are many other indirect reasons as well. Therefore, prevention and constant monitoring of the area is the most effective way to deal with mountain fires.

Authors: Grigory Bedenko, Nurdaulet Zhaksybaev

Source: https://24.kz/ru/news/social/item/545732-ogon-2022-masshtabnye-ucheniya-proshli-v-almatinskikh-gorakh

Категория: News