VI International Vertical Challenge Competition among fire fighters and rescuers in speed ascent in high-rise buildings dedicated to the Hero of the Russian Federation, Army General Evgeny Zinichev took place in Saint-Petersburg. More than 600 rescuers from all over Russia and Belarus took part in the event. They represented federal, regional and municipal firefighting and rescue services, as well as specialized, governmental and private fire teams under the jurisdiction of various ministries and departments of the Russian Federation. Participants had to climb 39 floors, 936 steps and 145 meters of vertical ascent as fast as possible, fully equipped and wearing personal respiratory protection. All contestants had a valid smoke diver qualification and admission to work in RPE.
The goal of Vertical Challenge is to show how difficult and dangerous it is to work as a firefighter or rescuer, increase psychological resilience of firefighters in emergency situations, pay tribute to the memory of those who died on duty. Moreover, the best professionals in the country, who are aimed at achieving the highest results, shared their knowledge with colleagues in networking sessions. Collaboration and best practices allow rescuers to eliminate the risks of negative consequences during emergencies, including those at transport infrastructure facilities.
Given the proactive stance of Vnukovo International Airport JSC in development and promotion of rescue technologies as well as cooperation with emergency response services and participation in various fire and rescue forums and events, Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations asked the Vnukovo team to showcase their skills in Vertical Challenge.
Vnukovo airport accepted the invitation, and Fire and Flight Safety Department created a team of the winners and participants of VKO Profi, a professional competition among firefighters and rescuers.
They had to compete with the real professionals who have repeatedly participated in Vertical Challenge. As a result, the Vnukovo team was among the first half of the participants, all the members reached the finish line — the 39th floor.
Having analyzed team’s performance in Vertical challenge, Fire and Flight Safety Department will revise training program and work of firefighters and rescuers in RPE.
The Vnukovo team of firefighters and rescuers was the only team in the competition from the Federal Air Transport Agency. We have big plans for next year and are getting reading for Vertical Challenge 2023.
Vnukovo International Airport is one of the largest air transport facilities in Russia. The airport handles about 200,000 flights of Russian and foreign airlines annually. Its network covers the whole territory of Russia as well as near and far-abroad countries. In 2019, Vnukovo International Airport broke a historical record and served more than 24 million passengers. Vnukovo airport terminal with a total area of about 300,000 square meters is able to handle up to 35 million passengers per year. Vnukovo International Airport is the only airport in Russia to have received Letter of Commendation from the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin for labor achievements and high performance. Moreover, Vnukovo Airport was recognized as the Best International Airport by Air Gateway of Russia award at National Aviation Infrastructure Show (NAIS) for three consecutive years.
