The established fire safety system in a state is an important component of ensuring economic growth of the country, increasing the welfare of population, and maintenance of the stable development of a state. Therefore, research of it, including within the limits of historical survey, can contribute to the improvement of the fire hazard protection conditions of a state, due to the consideration and applying of historical experience of firefighting in the first half of the twentieth century.
Тhe problems of the creation, formation and operation of the fire safety system in the Ukrainian Soviet Republic during 1918–1934 are provided with a wide and diverse array of historical sources which have been used in study. The source complex of this dissertation work covers a whole range of archival (unpublished) as well as published sources. The main majority of archival sources of central, regional and branch archives of Ukraine used in this work have been introduced into scientific process for the first time. Substantial part of the published materials about the problems of the establishment and development of the fire safety in the Ukrainian Soviet Republic during 1918–1934 are poorly researched, and it is the first time when they are presented to the wide scientific community.
The dissertation on the basis of the analysis of a complex of archival and published sources investigates creation and functioning of a complex system of fire protection in the territory of the USSR in 1918–1934, which included the special state bodies and measures, their direct extinguishing, elimination of the consequences of natural disasters, training of qualified personnel in the field of fire fighting. This system during its period of operation operated quite effectively, although it had some difficult stages of its development, which is confirmed by the gradual and gradual reduction of the number of fires and the reduction of losses from them in the USSR during the study period.
The dissertation investigates the processes of initial formation of the Soviet legislative base in the field of fire safety and its implementation on Ukrainian lands, the specifics of the struggle of the Ukrainian population against fires in 1918–1920; the formation and structure of state bodies in the field of firefighting, features of fire protection in the USSR in urban and rural areas in the years of the new economic policy are analyzed; the problems of formation and activity of state bodies of fire-fighting profile, fire-fighting in cities and villages of Ukraine during the formation of the totalitarian regime, specifics of uniforms and insignia of Ukrainian firefighters in the studied period are characterized; formation and development of Ukrainian fire technical schools, fire technical courses and refresher courses for firefighters. For the first time the acting process of special state fire committees has been examined. These committees helped the main state fire authorities combating fire and allowed for various departments of the Ukrainian Soviet Republic to cooperate on a fire safety forefront.
The results of the work can be used for the preparation of generalized works, textbooks, manuals, general courses and special courses on the history of Ukraine and the history of fire in Ukraine, the history of education in Ukraine. Research and analysis of aspects of fire prevention, direct firefighting, firefighting, formation of volunteer fire brigades, staffing of professional firefighting teams, as well as the use of other experience of Ukrainian firefighters 20-30s of the twentieth century, could contribute to modern reforms in civil protection and fire safety and improve the national state of fire protection. Research on the problems of professional fire education in 1918–1934 could be useful for the training of modern personnel in educational institutions of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine.
