If you go to www.world.altavista.com, you can translate Russian websites into English - May 2000
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Here is a Russian website that has great details about Russian fire engines - Photos and Info About Fire Vehicles
Fire Statistics For the Russian Federation 1994 to 1998 - in English
Russian Fire Statistics for January 2000
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The following three paragraphs are from the article in the St Petersburg newspaper about the 3 firefighters who died in the February 2000 fire.
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In the past few years, property fires have become a serious problem in Russia, with 260,000 breaking out last year, killing 14,861 people, said Gen. Lt. Yevgeny Serebrenikov, head of the Interior Ministry's fire department. "Unfortunately, despite all the Interior Ministry's efforts, decreasing the problem has been unsuccessful," he said, adding that Russia's economy lost 310 million rubles ($10,750,000) as a result of fire last year.
Stating that St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Oblast have the country's highest number of fires, Serebrenikov said that 28 fire fighters lost their lives as a result last year. In December, 21 people in the Leningrad Oblast town of Primorsk died in a fire that broke out in a single-story wooden hospital where 85 severely mentally retarded patients were sleeping. One of the firemen on the scene said then that the victims were burned beyond recognition. And last July, three people were killed and dozens left homeless when a fire broke out in a five-story building at 108 Nab. Reki Fontanki, eventually causing an explosion. Officials said it was most likely sparked by a short circuit or by a resident who accidentally fell asleep while smoking a cigarette.
Fire department officials said late last year that St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Oblast were facing a fire crisis, with 11,706 fires breaking out in a period of nine months and causing the deaths of 427 people, including 13 children, and injuring 754.
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Lenningrad - (?is old name for St Petersburg) - Lenningrad per April 1991 Fire Chief Magazine - 50 stations - 5 million population - 5000 firefighters - 3 platoons - 600 firefighters on duty - 200 pumpers - 12 ladders - 4 elevating platforms - computer aided dispatch system with 6 alarm levels - 6 smoke diver buses - typical response to a reported building fire is 2 pumpers
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Moscow Fire Department - approximately 90 stations - many firefighters are young military recruits
Per Moscow travel book DK597.I48v4 (?1985) - F01 : P02 : A03 : Emergency Gas Service 04 : Directory for Moscow Telephone Numbers 09 : Time 100 : 878 square kilometers : 8 million population : 1500 streets : 900 alleys
www.fireman.ru is apparently the Moscow Fire Department website - use www.world.altavista.com to translate it from Russian to English (May 2000)
Large ?Moscow Blaze - ?1999 - Text translated to English
Photos of the Blaze translated Above
Radio Frequencies Used in the Moscow Area - 1999
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Saint Petersburg Fire Department is online - I think that it is listed at www.fire-ems.net under International FDs
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by Peter Szerlag - November 1999 - December 1999 - March 2000 - 28Apr00 - 01May00 - 15Sept00 (Moscow streets)