You know there are
people. You know you
have to help. So, you go.
That's all there is to it.
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Dnipro
Rescuers
It's hard, both psychologically and physically.
Humor helps us cope with everything we encounter at work. How else could we do it? If you take to heart all the tragedies that have become commonplace for us, you won't last long in this profession.
Being a first responder is my calling.
You know, at the beginning of a full-scale war, we used to count the calls. One, two… Then, it just became a regular occurrence. We can't control it. We can only strive, rescue, and survive.
We have psychologists. Everyone experiences difficulties in their own way. Some people are open about their emotions. Others are more withdrawn. We're trying to work with that.
My colleagues are all adults, but I worry about them as if they were my own children.
As rescuers, we're unarmed, and it hurts so much that we, the people who save lives, also fall victim to the shelling.
In the evening, the rescuer workers gathered in the courtyard for their daily training. Today, they're practicing rescuing an unconscious person and making the conditions as close to reality as possible. Oleksandr, the head of the crew, explains:
During an air raid, we go out in Kevlar helmets and bulletproof vests so that we have a better chance of surviving if something happens.
Despite our fear, we have to go out and do our work. Not because we are paid to do so… We came here to save people. Someone has to do it. And that's what we do.
After training, we shake the rescuers' hands, thank them for the opportunity to spend the day with them, and wish them a peaceful end to their shift. Although shifts with no calls are more of an exception than the rule.
