Summary

The fire-fighters and their activities in Kupiškis area. From the history of the Fire Department

Danutė Baronienė

The activities of the fire-fighters in the area of Kupiškis is discussed in the paper. The material collected by the author shows that the profession of a fire-fighter-and-rescuer in Kupiškis is very popular long ago. There are written documents already from 1913 about the activities of fire-fighters in this area. The pictures and statistics confirming the facts are given in the paper. The facts described by the author are illustrated by stories told by firemen.

A detailed description of the activities of firemen not only in Kupiškis, but also in the villages around it, such as Alizava, Skapiškis, Subačius, Salamiestis and Šimonys before the WWII, has been presented. After the war, in 1949, the Lithuanian SSR voluntary fire-fighter societies had been established with 36 inter-district departments. The area of Kupiškis had been served by the Panevėžys inter-district department. In 1954, the Kupiškis department of voluntary fire-fighters society had been established. With development of kolkhozes (collective farms), the voluntary fire-brigades began to be formed. Soon, the inter-kolkoz fire stations appeared. In 1992, the fire-brigades were joined to the Kupiškis Fire and Rescue Department. In 2000, the Kupiškis District Voluntary Fire Service Kupiškio Ugniagesiai separated form that Department and came under the control of Kupiškis District Government. New fire brigades were formed in different sites of the district: Adomynė, Alizava, Antašava, Noriūnai, Skapiškis, Subačius, Šimonys, Virbališkiai and Žaideliai.

The history covering the life of the fire fighting society for more than 100 years has been reviewed in the paper. During this time span, the equipment changed fundamentally, the sphere of its activities expanded, the skill and capability of its staff to help people in need improved significantly.