“This is our land and we must protect it”: the story of volunteer firefighter Vitaliy Varyanytsya
When the full-scale invasion began, 33-year-old Vitaliy Varyanytsya was engaged in farming. He lived in his native village of Shevchenkove, in Mykolaiv region, and made plans for the future.
However, the war made adjustments to his life. And one day a successful entrepreneur Varyanytsia decided to unite indifferent fellow villagers and stand in defense of his native village from the fire disaster.
“Many of the villagers from the first days left for safer regions of our country, some abroad. Then of the more than 3000 population, about 400 remained. I saw enemy shelling lead to fires almost daily, and I understood that they had to be extinguished or people would have nowhere to go back. The units of the State Emergency Service, no matter how they wish, will not quickly reach the challenge because of the location, and we can help them here, on the spot,” Vitaliy Varyanytsya recalls the first days of the war.
In the beginning, volunteer firefighters from the village. Shevchenkovo did not have any special equipment or equipment. They fought the fire almost head-on.
“We dug out the first fire truck from under the destroyed building of the volunteer fire brigade of the village. Beech. After enemy shelling, he stood under a pile of concrete slabs and attracted by the ground. Detached, brought to combat condition and went to extinguish fires. The leadership of the Main Directorate of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in the Nikolaev area helped to solve the issue of providing our unit with combat clothing and equipment. Volunteers also helped. Thanks to the joint help, today we already have two new fire trucks. And the old ZIL stands as an unbreakable symbol, because it was he who repeatedly saved our lives, including me,” says Vitaliy.
On one of the days, after another shelling by the occupiers, a fire broke out again. He and the boys went to the place and at some point they heard a whistle. The comrade managed to open the door and at that moment the wreckage was scattered. They broke the door behind which Vitaliy Varyanitsa managed to hide.
Today Vitaliy Varyanytsya holds the position of deputy chairman of the Shevchenko territorial community and continues to support the guys from the fire brigade, and when he is able, he again takes up the fire barrel and rushes together with his brothers to where the trouble happened.
“Now, we need to solve another problem — fields mined and clogged with explosive objects, open areas. So when guys go out to eliminate fires in such areas there is a risk of injury to personnel. But, neither now nor when it arrived almost daily, neither of us hesitated for a moment, despite the risk to our lives, we fought the fire. After all, this is our native village, it is our land, and we have to protect it,” says Vitaliy Varyanytsya.
State Emergency Service of Ukraine
