About department

The Department of Labor Safety and Environment Protection was established by the order of the Rector of VISI on June 18th, 1985. This date is considered to be the birthday of the present Department of Labor Safety and Fire Protection. The first appointed lectors of this departament were associate professors, candidates of engineering Pranas Baltrėnas, Danielius Gužas, and Petras Čyras. Gintas Umbrasas, Nerijus Žukas, Jonas Baronas, Saulius Valentinavičius, Valmantas Girnius and Ritoldas Šukys worked in the department as assistants.

Assoc Prof Dr Petras Čyras was appointed as the first head of the department. He has held this position the longest – until 2002 with a short break of a few months. For four months in 1995 and 1996 the department was headed by Habil Dr Romualdas Mačiulaitis. In 2002 Assoc Prof Dr Ritoldas Šukys was elected as head of the Department of Labor Safety and Fire Protection.

When the independence of Lithuania was restored, military training was taken out of the curriculum. In order to fill this gap, the department has introduced a civil safety program and prepared study literature. Lecturer Romualdas Dubonis has begun teaching this new discipline for bachelor degree students. The restoration of independence raised even more important and urgent questions for the department, such as, whose responsibility is to provide higher education for fire protection and rescue specialists. Until then local fire protection specialists acquired higher education in Russia and Ukraine. Approximately 40 new graduates every year were required to meet the needs of the reform of the fire protection system and to compensate for the natural fluctuation of professionals. Fire protection specialist’s education in foreign universities seemed too expensive for Lithuania; the cost could reach a million Litas per year (approx.300 thousand Euros).

The first head of the department, who held this position for a long time, Prof Petras Čyras remembers: “I’ve called Julius Kraujelis, the director or the Fire Protection Department at that time, and suggested to educate fire protection master degree specialists. His answer was: “There is no need for such a big step. Let’s begin with fire protection bachelor’s degree.”

Half a year had not passed from this conversation, when Prof Edmundas Kazimieras Zavadskas, the rector at that time, met the minister of internal affairs and the decision was made to educate fire protection specialists in our university. The honor and the leading responsibility were delegated to the Faculties of Civil Engineering dean P. Vainiūnas, and for the Department of Labor Safety and Fire Protection.

The implementation of this idea needed preparation: new study programs were introduced, study materials for fire protection courses prepared, practical training laboratories needed to be equipped and the appropriate qualification of lectors acquired. When in 1992 the department split into two subdivisions, a new Department of Labor Safety and Fire Protection was established. Only 5 lectors were left and none of them had fire protection qualifications.

More than one meeting was held to discuss the issues of new specialists’ education. The proposal of the Fire Protection Department was to begin with 100 first year students. After considering the university’s possibilities, the decision was made to cut the number of students by half and take 50. The leaders of the Department made a promise to provide all needed assistance in studies’ organization process, and they have kept the promise.

Together with the first deputy director of the Department, Edmundas Uldukis, we have visited the Moscow Higher Technical School of Engineering Fire in order to learn about study programs, laboratories. We had an idea to ask for assistance with study materials. The expectations of our visit were met. After some time, a minibus from Moscow brought the needed textbooks, laboratory instructions and workbooks. This was only the beginning of a great and rather complicated process.

The campaign to persuade the first year students into fire protection studies began in the spring semester of 1992. It was very difficult to convince young people to change their specialty. Not easily, but 21 students changed their mind. Independent, adjusted to university structure program of fire protection, bachelor studies were introduced as a result of persistent work of department lectors, dean of the Faculty of Civil Engineering and the Fire Protection Department. The new fire protection study program started on September 1^st, 1992.

The Department provided technical and material assistance in equipping study laboratory for fire protection in technological processes. The staff of the Department had to carry the obligation to teach fire safety courses. During the first year Edmundas Uldukis delivered lectures on organization of fire safety; a year later this course was presented by Vytas Aleksandravičius, and Gintaras Paulauskas is the present teacher of this discipline. The tactics of the fire station security was taught by Artūras Račkauskas, then by Bronius Pečeliūnas, and now by Mečislovas Griškevičius. The course of fire investigation and inquiry was presented by Stasys Kraujelis, Voicechas Salnikas, Valdas Mardosas and now by the head of the department, Assist Prof Ritoldas Šukys. The theory of combustion and extinguishing was introduced by Prof Aivaras Kareiva, now by Assist Prof Elena Zalieckienė.

During the first years of studies, theory of combustion and extinguishing laboratory works were carried out in the Fire Research Center of the Department. With the help of the director at that time of Fire Rescue Department Kazys Zulonas and the Main School of Fire Service in Warsaw, the laboratory was equipped for practical studies in theory of combustion and extinguishing. A lot of energy and ingenuity in creating the laboratories was devoted by former manager of the laboratory, present Assoc Prof Arūnas Jaras, master Jonas Mašanauskas and supervisor Sofija Stupak. Diligent and dutiful department supervisor Natalja Baraškova organizes and controls fire protection bachelor degree studies from the first steps of freshmen till the delivery of diploma papers to seniors. The laboratory works for students were prepared by the former management of the laboratory, Vida Šimulionytė, and the former senior assistant of the laboratory, Valentina Leonova.

The courses of fundamental general engineering sciences and special scientific disciplines were delivered by other teachers of our university: professors Josifas Parasonis, Algimantas Kazragis, associate professors: Kazys Algirdas Kaminskas; Elena Zalieckienė; Pranas Gerdžiūnas; Leonidas Syrus; Jadvyga Kerienė; Algimantas Čepulkauskas; Liudas Rimkus; Angelė Kaulakienė, lectors: Aušra Pelėdienė; Janina Jaurienė and others.