Introduction. In today's world, fire safety has become a top priority for public administration in every country. The challenges of providing professional fire protection are addressed, among other measures, through the institution of volunteer firefighting both in Russia and abroad. Problems in ensuring the activities of volunteer firefighters are generally quite typical, regardless of the level of socio-economic development of the territory. Thus, in modern conditions in the Russian Federation, there are quite noticeable imbalances in the level of fire safety. These issues are particularly acute for small, remote settlements, where it is quite resource-intensive to maintain professional fire protection. Nevertheless, the principle of equal access and quality of public services is a key component of state policy and regional administration. The activities of volunteer fire brigades play an essential role in the fire safety system in Russia and abroad. However, as practice shows, there is a significant problem of ignorance and, in general, unwillingness of citizens to participate in voluntary fire protection and to assist in the development of this institution. In this regard, this study aims to investigate the role of volunteer firefighting societies (hereinafter referred to as VFFS) and analyze the specifics of their activities abroad in order to identify common practices and assess the perception of this institution by the population.

Materials and Methods. The research plan consisted of two interconnected parts. First, we planned to study the sources devoted to evaluating the role of volunteer firefighters in other countries and analyze the activities of volunteer firefighting organizations in the Russian Federation. Then, we conducted a sociological survey and processed the results. The processing of responses involved summarizing the collected data and identifying the reasons and motives behind the responses received. For the regional part of the study, statistical data on the activities of voluntary firefighting societies and the dynamics of the number of volunteers were analyzed in order to assess the contribution of voluntary firefighting societies to the fire safety system.

Results. It has been revealed that the institute of volunteer firefighters is widespread in the fire extinguishing system both in Russia and abroad. It has been found that approaches to the organization, financing and financial incentives of volunteer firefighters from different countries have both similarities and some differences, including the subjective perception of this institution by the population. It was found that the number of VFFS branches and the participation of VFFS units in extinguishing fires in the Russian Federation have increased significantly in the Russian Federation. This indicates the relevance and effectiveness of their work. An analysis of the distribution of the number of fires by fire extinguishing participants showed that the proportion of volunteer fire brigades participating in firefighting has been growing annually. However, the analysis has also showed a decrease in the overall number of volunteer firefighters in the Udmurt Republic. According to the sociological survey conducted, the vast majority of respondents were generally not ready to participate in voluntary fire protection and assist in the development of this institution.

Discussion. This work has shown that the institution of volunteer firefighters is a highly sought-after and socially significant phenomenon both in Russia and abroad. However, there are clear problems at both the national and regional levels with the organization of the VFFS system itself. Generally, the population is not very willing to join volunteer firefighting groups, and the reasons why people do not join these groups have been identified. The analysis revealed the motivations and conditions under which respondents were willing to participate in volunteer firefighting activities. The results show the need for a comprehensive approach to developing measures to improve the status of volunteers. It is also necessary to develop a set of measures to increase the appeal of the image of a volunteer firefighter to attract young people into this field.

Conclusions. The research confirms the important role of volunteer firefighters in ensuring fire safety in the subject area under study, both in Russia and abroad. The review showed that the key problems in organizing the work of voluntary firefighting services are identical for most countries. These conclusions are supported by the results of the analysis. The main results of the study include data on the dynamics of the number of volunteers in the region as well as factors that determine the motivation of the population to participate in volunteer firefighting activities. The practical significance of the research lies in its application in predicting additional measures to attract more volunteers to volunteer firefighting organizations. Further research will aim to develop mechanisms to promote volunteer firefighting activities.