September 17 Rescuer’s Day

Rescuer’s Day is an official Ukrainian observance honouring the personnel of the country’s civil protection, fire and other emergency rescue services. The history of organised rescue units dates back to the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, when the first professional fire brigades and mutual-aid societies were established in Ukrainian cities. Ukraine’s traditions of mutual assistance and defence of the homeland have deep historical roots, having developed over many centuries. Today, rescue work requires exceptional professional skill, as rescuers operate at the limits of human endurance every day.

Amid russia’s full-scale aggression, firefighters and rescuers from the State Emergency Service of Ukraine are the first to reach sites struck by russian missiles and drones. They pull people from beneath the rubble and extinguish extensive fires. Working alongside them are demining specialists, who inspect affected areas and neutralise unexploded ordnance to protect other emergency personnel, and canine teams with service dogs trained to locate survivors beneath layers of collapsed concrete.

They perform their professional duties under constant threat to their lives, as enemy forces employ the tactic of deliberately striking locations for a second time after emergency services have already arrived. These conditions demand an exceptionally high level of personal and collective responsibility from every member of a rescue team.

Belgian Malinois, German shepherds, Labradors and Jack Russell terriers serve with the State Emergency Service, specialising in locating people and detecting mines. Since 2022, Patron, a mine-detection dog from the Chernihiv region, has helped pyrotechnic teams locate hundreds of explosive devices, protecting the lives of both deminers and civilians.

During search-and-rescue operations throughout Ukraine, canine teams locate people trapped in the most inaccessible spaces beneath layers of concrete. They identify precise areas for excavation and save crucial minutes when technical instruments cannot detect signs of life.

Enemy attacks strike not only residential buildings but also trains, railway stations and petrol stations, creating the danger of massive explosions. Rescue teams spend hours making their way through burning metal, cutting open deformed railway carriages and extinguishing exceptionally difficult fires at fuel facilities.

One of the most intense moments of a rescue operation is the declaration of a “minute of silence”. All heavy equipment at the site is switched off and every operation temporarily stops. Rescue workers stand motionless and listen for the faintest sounds beneath the ruins, hoping to hear a moan, a voice or a knock against a pipe.

During such moments in many Ukrainian cities, rescuers have heard faint voices and saved people dozens of hours after an attack. Working by hand, they move through narrow openings at the risk of further collapse, clear debris with their bare hands and use hydraulic jacks to hold back concrete slabs weighing several tonnes.

Working around the clock at the limits of human strength and endurance, Ukraine’s rescuers fight for every life under the most difficult conditions. Their extraordinary resilience, selflessness and daily courage inspire profound gratitude and respect in the heart of every Ukrainian.