empathy is important in the lifeguard profession

Every year on December 27, Russia celebrates the professional holiday Day of the Rescuer of the Russian Federation. Experienced rescuer Maxim Shlychkov spoke about why he chose this profession, about the difficulties of working at height and the most important qualities in the lifeguard business.

Maxim Shlychkov, a rescuer at the Moscow Fire and Rescue Center, entered the profession fourteen years ago. His skills have been repeatedly marked by awards, including the state – “For the salvation of the perishing”.

For the first time, Maxim thought about how interesting the profession of a lifeguard is when he was at school. The young man was engaged in speleology and was well acquainted with the work of the control and rescue service (KSS).

“To us, the specialists of the service seemed almost like gods, we wanted to imitate them, strive to be like them. And when in 1988 there was an earthquake in Spitak, my classmates and I went to the director of the school to be sent as volunteers to remove the rubble. But we were turned away due to age. But our senior comrades in the caving section went there, because they had the appropriate qualifications, skills, equipment, ”recalls Maxim Shlychkov.

First, fate led Maxim to industrial mountaineering.

“Working at height is extremely dangerous. You need to navigate the situation very quickly, think through your actions a few steps ahead. Such things eventually go to the level of instincts. Responding to unexpected situations is a valuable skill that has come in handy many times in the work of a rescuer. A good specialist in work at height in the rescue business can think of different combinations to solve problems of any complexity with a minimum set of equipment, ”Maxim Shlychkov talks about his previous employment.

In 2008, he ended up in the Spasreserve volunteer detachment and received the qualification of a rescuer, after which he took up duty as a volunteer in the rescue detachment for two and a half years. It was there, as the hero admits, that he acquired the basic knowledge, motivation and professional core.

In the rescue profession, according to Maxim, empathy is very important.

“Working in a psychological connection with a person for whom this may be the worst day of his life is very difficult. And the second necessary quality is the ability to step back from everything that happens on the road after the work is completed. Pass through yourself and leave behind,” he explains.

According to an employee of the emergency rescue team No. 9, the specialty “rescuer” implies the possession of a huge number of skills, the process of mastering them continues throughout the entire professional path.

“Now I would like to attract specialists from related professions to expand the competencies of rescuers in order to enrich an already rich craft. In addition, new technologies and tools are emerging, and remote work methods are being introduced, such as the use of unmanned aerial vehicles. It is interesting to watch this, and even more interesting to try it and use it in daily activities,” the rescuer notes.

Maxim Shlychkov is a repeated participant and winner of various competitions among rescuers. Moreover, in recent years, together with his comrades, he has been developing distances for such competitions and acts as a judge.

“Colleagues from different regions of the country appreciate the level of these competitions and are grateful for the opportunity to try new methods of work and hone important skills. This, of course, motivates us to continue developing in this direction,” Maxim Shlychkov sums up.