For 18 years, he has been dedicated to extinguishing fires and saving people.

That is what Dejan Jerinic does wherever there is a need in the municipalities of Viti and Kllokot, together with colleagues from other communities in this part of Anamorava.

Committed to this mission, he says that when he puts on the firefighter’s uniform, he forgets his nationality, as his goal is to save and help anyone who is at risk from fire.

“I have never had any problems; in fact, I socialize more with Albanians than with Serbs. We are together here for 12 hours like a family… During holidays we go out for drinks, we treat each other, depending on whose holiday it is. We are almost always together for drinks… I do not look at people by nationality; I look at what kind of people they are, whether they are good people. My duty is to go and save everyone, to provide first aid as much as I can,” he said.

Although the job can sometimes be exhausting, for the 41-year-old the gratitude and appreciation he receives from citizens remains the greatest motivation to overcome every difficulty in service.

“Yes, in many places people are grateful when we go to interventions, when we save people and when we respond. People are grateful that we have done a good job,” Jerinic said.

In fact, Jerinic is one of only two Serbs in the Viti brigade, where the other 35 firefighters are Albanians.

Their commander, Hetem Jakupi, says that firefighters are a united family where there are no differences. He says that in every alarm, the team responds with maximum dedication to save lives, always standing by every citizen in need.

“I am satisfied with them because they do not hesitate in their work and give their maximum wherever they go, regardless of where they are going or whom they are helping. They do not distinguish nationality or gender; they are in service of all citizens of Kosovo… Every intervention we have had, even in areas where there is a Serbian community, we have carried out our work precisely and received gratitude. We have always had cooperation and no negative differences with the Serbian community… At the moment we receive an alarm, wherever the situation is, we do not hesitate and our response time is within a minute,” he said.

Alongside the southeastern part of Kosovo, where firefighters are well-coordinated in assisting citizens, such cooperation also exists in the northern part of Kosovo.

The deputy commander of the Professional Firefighting and Rescue Unit in South Mitrovica, Sabri Abazi, says that a single call from the central emergency agency is enough for firefighters to unite and assist citizens, regardless of nationality.

He adds that cooperation with firefighting teams in northern Mitrovica takes place without obstacles and professionally whenever intervention is needed.

“We cooperate through the 112 emergency call center, which contacts us when needed and we coordinate through it… Whenever there is a need, we go and help. They also come to help us without obstacles, in a professional way… Communication is good; we talk to them during interventions. There are no barriers from either side. It all depends on the situation… We serve all communities, Serbian, Roma, Ashkali, Egyptian, Bosniak. We go to interventions without looking at ethnicity,” he said.

Abazi says that in many cases firefighters from the south and north have intervened together to localize fires.

“The nature of interventions, for example, is when there are forest or field fires. In such cases we go together through the 112 center, they request assistance, and we respond. And when we need help, we request it through the emergency center. The center coordinates with the Fire Unit of North Mitrovica, and they always come to help,” he explained.

Sami Beqiri is one of the firefighters from the south who never hesitates to intervene and help in the northern part of Kosovo, which has a Serb majority. For his work since the post-war period, he says it is a noble mission carried out with love and without distinctions.

“The moment we take on duty, it is to help anyone in need, regardless of whether they are Serbs, Roma, Turks, Bosniaks—everyone is the same for us when it comes to providing assistance… Our mission is to save human lives and material goods… We deal with fires, homes, search and rescue, people falling into water, different accidents—we cooperate together… The cooperation is very good; in the moment we carry out the work, we know the nature of the job, everything is fine,” he said.

And sometimes this job brings additional benefits, as colleagues learn each other’s languages.

In this way, Serbian firefighter Bojan Andjelkovic, who has been part of the Professional Firefighting and Rescue Unit in Lipjan since 2010, now also speaks Albanian.

“With colleagues everything is fine, we have gone on interventions together, we have worked. There have been fires, technical interventions, accidents—we have gone through everything together… Yes, we regularly go for coffee, we eat at each other’s homes. Every day before starting work we drink coffee together, and after finishing we go home… I speak both Serbian and Albanian with some colleagues, but mostly Albanian. I learned some Albanian, not all of it, but a bit,” he said.

Beyond their firefighting duties, the deputy commander of this unit, Ramë Matoshi, says that he maintains strong relations with his two Serbian colleagues.

According to him, serving the community, regardless of ethnicity, is done without distinction and always ends with gratitude.

“In general, we get along together, on the field there is no difference whether we are Albanians or Serbs—we do the work together, we help each other during operations, and regardless of whether it is in Serbian or Albanian communities. There is no difference; it is humanitarian work, we help everyone… We celebrate holidays together, theirs and ours, we have no problems,” he said.

In Kosovo, there are 34 professional firefighting and rescue units, with around 830 members in total.