Nursultan Berenbekov was born in 1991 in the village of Kok-Oy in the Talas district of the Talas region. He holds a higher education degree in technosphere safety, which took a total of seven years to complete. "From 2008 to 2013, I studied at the Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University, and then from 2013 to 2015, I graduated from Tomsk Polytechnic University in the Russian Federation," he said.
Nursultan is married and raising a daughter. His wife also serves in the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Kyrgyzstan. According to him, the dream of becoming a rescuer appeared in his childhood. "Two main factors influenced my choice of profession. The first is my older brother, who served in the emergency management department of the Talas region. He often brought home books on civil protection and disaster risk reduction. I read them with interest and admired his uniform, and my interest in this field formed very early on. Now my brother serves in the Batken region with the rank of lieutenant colonel. The second factor is engineering anti-landslide structures. In the 1980s, our village was affected by a landslide, after which eight protective dams were built. During heavy rains and snowmelt, the landslide waters collected in these structures and protected the settlement. Observing this with my own eyes, I became increasingly interested in engineering calculations and safety issues," he shared.
Nursultan has been serving in the Ministry of Emergency Situations since April 2018. "I began my career as a leading specialist in the Alamudun district department of the Ministry of Emergency Situations. I was appointed to this position following a nationwide competition, scoring 56 out of 60 points and successfully passing the second stage. In 2019, I was transferred to the central office of the ministry as a leading specialist in the field of population and territory protection. In 2020, I was called up to the Armed Forces of the Kyrgyz Republic, after which I continued my service in the central office of the Ministry of Emergency Situations as an officer for population and territory protection. Since September 2024, I have been working as the head of the department in the coordination and control management," he reported.
Reflecting on his career, Nursultan expressed the opinion that his career advancement was the result of knowledge and hard work. "On the one hand, I am surprised by this myself, and on the other hand, I am proud that each promotion was the result of the education I received, hard work, and accumulated experience. In childhood, I often heard: 'If you don't have money or connections, you won't be able to get a government job.' But I have seen for myself that this is not true," he said.
According to him, the profession of a rescuer requires a high level of responsibility and constant readiness. "Every position in the Ministry of Emergency Situations is associated with great responsibility. Professional, physical, and psychological training must always be at a high level, as the price of a mistake during protective, rescue, and emergency recovery operations is too high. Every saved person is someone's family, a contribution to strengthening the state. As our ancestors said: 'A strong family is a strong state.'
He states that the greatest reward for a rescuer remains a saved life and prevented damage. "The most honorable aspect of our profession is every saved life, every protected object, every assistance provided. Every year, many events are held that ensure residential buildings and infrastructure are protected, and the risks of emergencies are reduced," he said.
Speaking about his current work, Nursultan mentioned that his activities are analytical and coordinating in nature. "My position involves analyzing the ministry's activities, interacting with government bodies and local self-government on risk prevention issues. My responsibilities also include monitoring compliance with Ministry of Emergency Situations' directives, coordinating the monitoring of hazardous areas, controlling approvals in the development of sand and gravel mixtures, analyzing protective measures, and preparing drafts of regulatory legal acts. For each direction, we conduct analysis, calculations, and field inspections," he reported.
He noted that the work is not limited to office activities and is accompanied by numerous business trips. Special memories for Nursultan include monitoring trips to high-altitude lakes and glaciers. "Each such business trip is a separate story. Difficult roads, dangerous areas, incredible nature. One of the most memorable cases was the research of high-altitude lakes and glaciers in Tajikistan in the fall of 2025, together with scientists from Central Asian countries. We walked about 10 hours to reach the glacier, lived at its foot for five days, and conducted research. There was a case when we had to escort an injured group member on foot to the lower village," he recounted.
Nursultan says that the Ministry of Emergency Situations is a multi-profile agency where specialists from various fields are in demand. "The Ministry of Emergency Situations needs firefighters, fire safety inspectors, specialists in monitoring hazardous areas, engineers for the construction of protective structures, hydrometeorologists, rescuers, civil protection specialists, tailings management staff, and many others," he noted.
