Rescuers say: Oleg Baklanov

Today Oleg Baklanov, 3rd class rescuer of the Search and Rescue Support Service of the Moscow Aviation Center, answers the questions of our Rescuers Tell column.

How did you get into the lifeguard profession? How old were you and what did you do before (what profession did you get)?

– I used to work as a parachutist-instructor in the flying club. And after some time, life brought me to the Moscow Aviation Center, where I began to share my experience and acquired new knowledge myself. Later, when the search and rescue service was formed, he began to work as a professional rescuer.

– What is the most difficult thing in your profession?

– I have not yet encountered unsolvable problems in our work. We are constantly learning, because the profession of “rescuer” requires knowledge in many areas – we are psychologists, and divers, and paratroopers, and firefighters. I don’t even know what we can not cope with, we are ready to respond to incidents of any complexity.

– Tell us about some interesting case from practice.

– This year, in the fall, such a story happened. An elderly man with artificial hip joints went to the forest for mushrooms with two relatives. And they were so carried away by a quiet hunt that they did not notice how they were lost. Meanwhile, dusk was approaching. Frightened that they would have to spend the night in the forest, the women called 112 and asked for help. Both Moscow rescuers and volunteers went in search of “lost things”. The first to find them, already dark, were cynologists with dogs. A little later, I came up with my colleagues. Grandpa couldn’t walk on his own. We put him on a stretcher and went to the car, and the women followed us. All the way – and this is about a kilometer along the windbreak – an elderly man told us jokes and encouraged us in every possible way. He saw that it was not easy for us. The night was very cold, and despite the special thermal blanket, the man quickly froze when lying down, so we made small stops to warm the victim. Imagine this picture – approximately every five minutes we took an elderly man off the stretcher, he walked for some time, leaning on us, and then we leaned the stretcher against the back of the rescued man, carefully laid him on them and again – on the road. At the same time, the unfortunate mushroom picker constantly joked – so we left the forest with his jokes and got to our car.

What do you do outside of work, what are your hobbies?

– In my free time, I like to ride a motorcycle, go spearfishing, fishing, sit by the fire in the evenings. Of course, there was still a love for skydiving.

– Wish something to your colleagues for the Day of the Rescuer.

– On the eve of the Day of the Rescuer, I wish my colleagues health, happiness, smiles. Fewer situations where help is needed. May all people be well!