Robots, fire trains, and drones: what "Integrated Security" has in store for guests

      From the Victory Avenue metro station, a free bus with the logo of the international salon will be launched.

      All about the elimination of emergencies on land, water, air, and fire.

      Today, experts in the Cabinet of Ministers of Tatarstan discussed the XVI International Salon of Security Equipment "Comprehensive Security - 2026". For the first time, it will be held outside the Moscow region, with the capital of Tatarstan chosen as the venue. "The salon will take place from September 3 to 5. What makes it unique? It provides professional interaction between federal executive authorities, state authorities, enterprises, organizations, and many others. The main goal is to demonstrate and provide expert support for all activities related to the security system, prevention, and elimination of emergencies. Our salon has evolved from a specialized exhibition of equipment to a comprehensive professional platform of federal level, complementing exhibition, scientific activities, expert, educational, and demonstrative components. For the first time, we are holding it outside Moscow and the Moscow region," said Alexander Makarov, Director of the Department of Educational and Scientific-Technical Activities of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia.

      The exhibition will be held in two pavilions of "Kazan Expo" and on the outdoor area in front of the center. About 230 organizations will present their developments. Key participants will include giants such as KAMAZ, the Ural automobile plant, the Kalashnikov concern, and the Kazan helicopter plant.

      Visitors to the international salon will be able to see more than 80 units of unique equipment. A highlight of the exhibition will be the combination of the historical period of the development of rescue equipment, including horse-drawn barrel walks, with the latest models of special equipment. Also, according to Alexander Makarov, a fire train will be shown to the audience.

      "In addition, for the first time, a separate exhibition of state inspections for small vessels will be organized, where boats of different classes will be presented. The air element will be demonstrated by K-32 and Mi-38 helicopters, as well as various unmanned aerial systems. We have set such a strategic goal to showcase the equipment and capabilities for the elimination of emergencies in various elements. That is, water, land, fire, and air," explained Alexander Makarov the concept.

      The business program of the salon also promises to be rich. According to Alexander Makarov, more than thirty events at the federal, industry, and international levels will take place. Participants will include representatives from more than thirty-three countries.

      "Among the key events is the third international scientific-practical conference on the safety of oil facilities in collaboration with the Naif Arab University for Security Sciences, as well as a round table of experts from the emergency agencies of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states. An international practical conference on monitoring, modeling, and forecasting hazardous natural phenomena and emergencies will also take place. The program includes various strategic sessions, including Safe Arctic 2027," he added.

      From September 3, open competitions "Fire Olympics" and a fire relay dedicated to the 380th anniversary of the fire service will start.

      "For children and youth, a special quest "Become a Hero 3.0" has been prepared, designed for family teams. The career guidance project Pro Skills is expected to gather more than a thousand schoolchildren from Kazan. The kids will be able to try themselves in the roles of rescuers, paramedics, welders, and other specialists, using VR technologies. A separate area will be dedicated to unmanned technologies. We will also hold the traditional seventh All-Russian Robotic Festival RoboEMERCOM," said Alexander Makarov.

      For the convenience of visitors, parking will be available at "Kazan Expo". A free bus with the salon's logo will run from the Victory Avenue metro station to the venue. It will also be possible to reach the exhibition by electric train, which will run from Kazan-1 railway station to the Airport station.

      "In Russia, this will be the first center; later, similar ones will appear in other regions."

      A significant event that will become a source of pride not only for the republic but for the entire country will be the grand opening of an innovative training and training ground for firefighters and rescuers. It will be opened in the Laishevsky district of Tatarstan on September 4. In the future, such facilities are expected to appear in all federal districts of the country.

      "This training ground is not just some training area. It is truly a unique center, created for the first time in the country here. There is nothing like this anywhere else in Russia. This is not an ordinary high-tech training complex," said Daniil Martynov.

      According to him, the idea to build the first such center in Kazan belongs to the President of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov. Before starting the design and construction, Daniil Martynov's team studied global experience.

      "I traveled the world with my team. We visited all the strongest and most powerful centers in this field. We were in China, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, and Malaysia. In each center, we deeply immersed ourselves, studying the strengths and weaknesses of the facilities," he reported.

      The training ground is built on a site of 12.7 hectares. The territory includes 8 training areas. The infrastructure includes a hotel and a cafeteria for 50 people, a fire depot with a garage, stands for 354 seats, a stadium with a 400-meter running track, and a four-story training tower with a climbing wall. The center's special pride is the Phoenix simulator, where training takes place at temperatures ranging from 600 to 800 degrees Celsius.

      "In the emergency rescue cluster, actions are practiced in conditions of smoke, elimination of road accidents and fires. In the search and rescue class, collapses, debris, and work in confined spaces are modeled. The gas rescue cluster is designed for training with chemically hazardous substances. The complex is designed to train three and a half thousand specialists annually. All established training complexes and equipment are domestic," said Daniil Martynov.

      The complex is intended not only for professionals; it also has the capacity to train children through special programs.

      "You cannot forcibly make a volunteer out of a budget worker."

      At the international salon venues, issues of interaction between the Ministry of Emergency Situations and volunteer organizations will be discussed, including those who search for victims during floods and deliver humanitarian aid.

      "Who actually goes out to search, who helps during floods, who works in humanitarian centers, who evacuates victims, and what needs to be done to ensure that this assistance is truly effective and safe? Our volunteers have been searching for missing people for many years, participating in humanitarian missions, and helping the population during emergencies and their consequences. This experience allows us to see the main point. One's desire to help is not enough. A volunteer needs to be prepared, understand their capabilities, be given the right task, and integrate their work into a unified system of interaction with professional services," said Giorgi Buliya, head of the Department for Interaction with Regional Offices and Development of Volunteer Activities of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

      According to him, over the years of the National Center's activity, a regional network of volunteer search teams has been formed. The principle was as follows: not to create new structures for the sake of reporting but to strengthen real working teams, train them, equip them, and build interaction with the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, the Investigative Committee, the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia, and the authorities of the Russian Federation subjects.

      He cited the example of June exercises for searchers in the Nizhny Novgorod region, which involved more than 500 people and 38 units of equipment. The practical phase included 48 hours of continuous searching over an area of about 110 square kilometers. He specifically noted the experience of working in the Kursk region, where after the events of August 2024, the National Center, together with the Ministry of Emergency Situations, organized a humanitarian aid reception center.

      "During certain periods, more than 200 volunteers from 33 regions of Russia worked there. Nine specially equipped vehicles were additionally purchased for the evacuation of the wounded. More than six thousand wounded were evacuated," he added.

      He also spoke about the experience that volunteers gained during the floods in the Tyumen, Irkutsk regions, and Altai Territory. According to him, the best scheme works when a prepared team of volunteers is attached to professional rescuers, and then everyone acts under unified management with a clear task.

      "A large number of registered volunteers does not itself mean the presence of operational resources. It is important to know the competencies, equipment, and readiness of specific teams. Volunteers are an additional resource for the state response system, not a guaranteed staff that can be counted and administratively distributed in advance," emphasized Giorgi Buliya.

      Therefore, according to the center representative, there is no need to create a new organism; it is necessary to improve interaction with the already existing one.

      "There is no need to create a new volunteer management system but to improve the interaction of volunteer organizations with the State System for Prevention and Elimination of Emergencies. It is not necessary to strive to obtain a guaranteed number of volunteers but to create a guaranteed working mechanism for the state to appeal to the volunteer resource. It is unacceptable to allow a situation where a region requires a certain number of volunteers, and this figure starts to be filled by students, employees of budget institutions, or subordinate organizations. Volunteering ceases to be volunteering at the moment when a person's free decision is replaced by administrative necessity