Vitebsk. Heroes in the battle for the harvest!
The harvest is being gathered at an active pace. Combine operators and drivers work in unison. Among the combine operators are representatives of the Vitebsk District Department for Emergency Situations: drivers of Fire and Rescue Unit No. 1 Roman Kondratyonok and Roman Valitsky, as well as the driver of Fire and Rescue Post No. 11 Viktor Filipenko.
Viktor Filipenko was born in 1989 in the village of Ustye, Vitebsk District. His parents, who worked in agriculture, instilled in him from childhood a love and respect for physical labor.
Indeed, Viktor Filipenko's career began at the Unitary Production Enterprise "Uzhitsa-Agro" as a mechanical engineer.
– By chance, in February 2017, I ended up at the Vitebsk District Department for Emergency Situations – the interviewee recounts. – I work as a driver at Fire and Rescue Post No. 11. But even after being hired by the District Department for Emergency Situations, I have not refused to help my native farm for seven years. I believe that helping agriculture is necessary and important.
Roman Valitsky has been helping the open joint-stock company "Sokolovshchyna" with the harvest for the eleventh season. For him, rural labor is nothing new.
– This is my, so to speak, native farm; I used to work here during the summers even as a schoolboy, – says Roman. – I was a driver before and after my mandatory military service. And when I started serving at the District Department for Emergency Situations, I help in the fields every summer.
During this busy period, the firefighter's working day changes drastically. After a 24-hour shift, he gets behind the wheel of different machinery. And the tasks assigned to him are also completely different.
– At work, I am responsible for people's safety, and here – for preserving the harvest, clarifies Roman Petrovich. – In the field, I follow the rhythm of the harvest. My task is to prevent the combine from standing idle with a full bunker and to transport grain to the threshing floor without losses. Everything must be clear and fast, just like at work.
A 24-hour shift – and then in the field. The schedule is intense, but, according to Roman, he has enough time to rest. Whenever possible, he even tries to take leave from his job during this period.
– I want to help my native farm, especially since I live nearby, in Golubovo, and earn money. And it’s also nice to switch from one set of duties to another.
Maneuvering the MAZ truck on field roads after driving a heavy fire engine is not difficult for Senior Driving Instructor Roman Valitsky. He says that he feels spiritually at rest when driving the “bread” vehicle.
And in general, the Valitsky family does not fear hard work and teaches independence from an early age. The eldest daughter, Polina, has been working part-time in the student team “Plamya” of the same farm for the second year. The parents support this desire – the child earns money independently and gets used to work. Both the father of Roman, Pyotr Konstantinovich, and the mother, Liliya Gennadievna, work in agriculture. He is an electrical engineer, and she is a dispatcher. The younger brother, Zakhar, a student, has also been working as an operator at the grain drying complex during the summer for several years.
Roman’s assistance to the farm is not limited to the harvest season. Along with the agricultural workers, he is also involved in forage preparation and corn harvesting.
One can devote so much time and effort to work only if they know that their family understands and supports them. Together with his wife Natalia, Roman is raising four children. And the summer season is busy for his wife as well, since during this period the care for the children and household chores fall on her shoulders.
– It is certainly difficult for my wife, but she understands that the household needs help, – says Roman. – And when you have such a reliable support behind you, it is easier and calmer to work.
Roman Kondratenok is a young driver who joined the district department for emergency situations at the end of 2024. After graduating from the Polotsk Professional Lyceum of Agricultural Production in 2020, he worked for about four years as a tractor operator-machinist at the open joint-stock company "Antonovo-Agro".
– Agricultural labor is hard, but at the same time noble, – says Roman. – After all, the food security of the country depends on this labor.
Roman's parents also work in agriculture. His father, Alexander Fedorovich, also operates heavy agricultural machinery, and his mother, Natalia Grigorievna, works as a milking machine operator at the same farm.
– Since childhood, I have helped my parents with public works. My father often took me to agricultural fields, where I absorbed skills in operating heavy machinery. I liked it. Now, despite being employed at the Verkhnedvinsk district department for emergency situations, I try to help my native farm during the grain harvest. If possible, I even take my vacation during this time.
Roman Kondratenok, together with his wife Yekaterina, is raising their daughter Valeriya, who currently attends the local kindergarten. Both his daughter and his wife wait for their loved one to come home every day, even if it happens well past midnight.