The creation of the professional fire service in Saint Petersburg is owed to Alexander I. In 1802, the emperor signed a decree establishing a fire brigade under the city police, and in 1803 – a decree that exempted the residents of Petersburg from fire duty. In the same year, 1803, 11 fire departments appeared in Petersburg – corresponding to the number of police precincts in the city. Retired soldiers unfit for frontline service were recruited as firefighters. In 1811, by decree of Alexander I, the Narva police precinct was formed, which increased the number of fire departments to 12. Quite soon, the silhouette of Petersburg was complemented by tall fire watchtowers, from which duty officers monitored their assigned parts of the capital.
In 1828, the boundaries of Petersburg were expanded again. The 13th police precinct of the city became the annexed Okhta transfer settlements. In the same year, 1828, a fire department was formed within the newly established city police unit on Okhta. The Okhta police and firefighters began their duties on May 23, 1829. (It should be emphasized that at that time the fire service was under the jurisdiction of the city police.) They were based in Bolshaya Okhta, and at that time – under one roof: according to available information, their shared home was a building on the bank of the Neva, which has not survived to this day. As noted in her book "Okhta. The Oldest Outskirts of Saint Petersburg," Natalia Pavlovna Stolbova states that the personnel of the Okhta fire department initially included one fire chief, one non-commissioned officer (assistant fire chief), 48 rank-and-file firefighters, and eight drivers (coachmen) with 20 horses. Later, the number of firefighters in the department increased. They were equipped with hand-operated fire pumps, carts adapted for transporting water barrels, a cart with ladders, and a "lineika" (a long, multi-seat open carriage in which firefighters sat sideways to the direction of travel).
Between 1865 and 1867, at the corner of the modern Bolshaya Okhtinsky Avenue and Kontorskaya Street, a building for the Okhta public almshouse was constructed according to the design of architect Petr Petrovich Merkulov. After construction was completed, the Okhta suburban administration and the police precinct were also housed in this building. In 1886, the residents of the almshouse and the police were evicted from here. In 1886 or 1887, the vacated premises were occupied by the Okhta fire department. There is information that at that time stone carriage sheds were added to the building; it is possible that the outstanding architect Pavel Yulyevich Suzor contributed to their design.
In 1898, according to the design of architect Otto Ludwigovich Ignatovich, the Okhta fire department building was rebuilt, and a watchtower resembling a lighthouse was added. From the watchtower, the surroundings were observed and signals (flags, balls, crosses, and lanterns) were sent about fires, more precisely, about the location and intensity of the blaze. Interestingly, the construction of this watchtower coincided with the introduction of telephone communication to all fire departments in Saint Petersburg. With the implementation and development of technical communication means, the role of the watchtower service in the fire alarm system began to diminish. In the city center, duty on observation towers was abandoned earlier than in the outskirts. This was due both to a higher level of technical equipment and to taller buildings (which limited visibility). However, it seems that the watchtower of the Okhta fire department was still manned.
Fortunately, the building at the corner of Bolshaya Okhtinsky and Kontorskaya has not only survived but also retained its professional function. Currently (as of March 2020), it houses the 12th (Okhta) fire and rescue unit of the 1st detachment of the Federal Fire Service for the city of Saint Petersburg. The slender fire watchtower is now one of the unofficial symbols of Bolshaya Okhta. By the way, in 1993, the complex of buildings of the Okhta fire department, including the watchtower, was recognized as a monument of regional significance. On the official website of the Committee for State Preservation of Historical and Cultural Monuments (KGIOP), this ensemble is listed as the "Okhta Police Precinct."
In 2003, the fire department building in Bolshaya Okhta was renovated, and at the same time, the "lamp" tradition of the watchtower service was revived by placing a firefighter mannequin on the watchtower balcony. Since then, vigilant Semyonych has been watching over the fire situation in the district around the clock and without interruption.
Sources:
http://krasnakarta.ru/spot/id/23/pojarnaya
