![\"Firefighting](\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-international-stateless\/2018\/03\/e0b8275a-gp0strokh_medium_res-1024x683.jpg\")
Sofya Kosacheva fighting fires in the Astrakhan Region of Russia<\/p><\/div>\n
Sofya Kosacheva, from Greenpeace Russia, led a firefighting expedition in the Astrakhan region in the spring of 2017. “Most firefighting is done with the head, not the muscles. You can be smarter than a fire. Firefighting safely depends on skills and proper equipment, not on gender.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe ban stops women from directly fighting fires. But, at the same time, according to the law, it\u2019s okay for a woman to carry out support work and administration, even if we\u2019re not fighting fires directly. By getting trained as a fire-ground commander, I got the official right to start fighting forest fires.”<\/p>\n
![\"Anna](\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-international-stateless\/2018\/03\/13275818-gp0strok4_medium_res-1024x683.jpg\")
Anna Baskakova <\/p><\/div>\n
Anna Baskakova, a volunteer firefighter with Greenpeace Russia, began fighting fires in 2010 when peat fires raged around Moscow. She took the volunteer firefighter course put on by Greenpeace Russia.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s totally wrong that a woman is prevented from fighting fires by law. In fact, women already fight fires. If a peat, forest or grass fire is near a village, the women work alongside the men. The ban on female firefighters is nonsensical. If a woman wants to fight a fire, and she is trained, healthy and respects the safety rules, she can lead the way.”<\/p>\n
\u201cWe not only fight fires, but also regularly train alongside professionals. We help sustainable forestry guides do preventive work with the population and \u2014 especially with children \u2014 plant trees.\u201d<\/p>\n
In 2014 around the city of Chita in South-Eastern Siberia, there were a lot of uncontrollable fires. Anastasia Ivashkevich leads the Voluntary forest firefighters of Transbaikalia. \u201cEverything burned,\u201d she said. \u201cI decided to help, and founded a group of volunteers.<\/p>\n
![\"Anastasia](\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-international-stateless\/2018\/03\/ccf6a27e-gp0strok7_medium_res-1024x683.jpg\")
Anastasia Ivashkevich, leader of the Voluntary forest firefighters of Transbaikalia <\/p><\/div>\n
\u201cI was already doing sports tourism in the mountains, so I was physically prepared. At first they looked at me as the only girl in the group, but in general, there wasn\u2019t a problem. I still had to prove that I was as good as the rest \u2014 better than they are, in fact, so they would listen to me. Now I lead the group.\u201d<\/p>\n
The burning of dry grass in Russia is a big problem in spring. The state forest and fire departments have been struggling unsuccessfully to tackle them for years.<\/p>\n
Most of Transbaikalia is covered with forests. These are pine forests, so they burn fast. The region is not very developed \u2014 there aren\u2019t many settlements here. At the end of March there\u2019s no snow, but the streams are still frozen. It\u2019s very difficult to fight fires in these conditions; you have to carry water with you.<\/p>\n
![\"Fighting](\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-international-stateless\/2018\/03\/545d23fe-gp0strokf_medium_res-1024x683.jpg\")
The fire extinguishing expedition crew of Greenpeace Russia battling the flames in Astrakhan Biosphere Reserve <\/p><\/div>\n
As the climate gets hotter, we\u2019re noticing more and more fires in Russia. These forests are wild havens for all kinds of animals and trees. We protect them, because we want to protect nature, and the people who rely on it.<\/p>\n