When an explosion rocks the city, within minutes people wearing Ukrainian Red Cross uniforms are already at work. They are called rapid response teams — volunteers who help victims immediately after emergencies.
“The teams are a powerful force that works in extreme conditions and emergency situations. Some of them are employees, some are volunteers, and everyone contributes as they can. We respond to all the consequences of attacks on Zaporizhzhia, which means that the crew on duty goes out to every strike,” says Vitaliy Tsibarov, commander of the Ukrainian Red Cross rapid response team in the Zaporizhzhia region.
Before the full-scale invasion, these teams were dispatched after accidents, fires or natural disasters. Now they work daily in frontline areas, where shelling has become part of everyday life.
Work that begins with a call
Every trip is a clear plan of action. It only takes a few minutes to get ready “In frontline units like ours, we are on duty around the clock. We have people on duty all the time. Since 2022, when the full-scale invasion began, there has not been a single day without a crew on duty,” says Vitaliy.
The teams work together with the State Emergency Service, military administrations and the police. Their main task is to provide first aid, evacuate people and deliver essential supplies.
‘When we arrive, the first thing we do is check if it’s safe. Then we help those who have been affected. Sometimes you just need to hug someone who is in a state of panic. Psychological support is just as important as bandages or a first aid kit,’ says Tsibarov.
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Who is in the team
There are several dozen volunteers in the Zaporizhzhia team. Among them are doctors, drivers, engineers, and IT specialists. Everyone undergoes training in first aid, evacuation, and communication in crisis situations.
“I have people in my team who are involved in 3D printing, lawyers, programmers. However, not everyone who wants to become a volunteer is given a helmet and body armour and becomes a rescuer. To become a volunteer, you have to undergo specific training. And it’s not five minutes or a day. That means training in first aid, psychological first aid, team coordination, and training with the team. Until the commander understands that this person can be allowed to participate in rescue operations, he will not allow it, because there must be a certain level of assistance, a certain level of knowledge,” explains the commander.
The training lasts several months. After that, there are shifts, training, and field trips. Newcomers work alongside experienced volunteers, initially as assistants.
‘I see how people change after their first field trips. Some come in unsure of themselves, and then become the ones who take responsibility for others,’ adds Vitaliy.
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Amid explosions and destruction
One of the most difficult moments for the team is when they have to leave after massive attacks. “An S-300 hit the building. The entrance was blocked, and there were people under the rubble. At that moment, the hardest thing was to support the people who were standing and waiting for someone to be pulled out from under the rubble. They hope that there is still someone there. And it’s hard, let’s say. When you don’t know how to help, because you understand that most likely there are no longer any living people under the rubble. But people stand there for 20 hours and wait while they dig, dig, dig,” recalls Tsibarov.
Equipment that helps to survive
Rapid response teams have their own transport — ambulances, trucks, four-wheel drive vehicles, even a mobile laundry and bathing complex. This allows them to remain autonomous during long operations.
“Another area that rapid response teams are involved in is transporting people with limited mobility and the wounded from one hospital to another. In this regard, ambulances can only transport patients if there is an urgent referral, i.e. an emergency. If it is a scheduled examination or something else for a person who cannot move on their own, the ambulance will say, “Here is the phone number for a paid ambulance service, use it,”” says the commander.
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Volunteers who never stop
Despite fatigue, lack of sleep and danger, the teams continue to work. “We don’t have days off. If there is a call, we go. At such moments, you forget about fatigue because you know that someone somewhere is waiting for help,” says Vitaliy.
Some of the volunteers have been mobilised, some have left the country, but there are always those who are ready to replace them. New participants undergo training and join the team.
‘Usually, people who want to help come. That is, they didn’t come for the salary, they came for the emotions. They are here to help and get some satisfaction from it. And that’s why our volunteers sometimes respond better than professionally trained rescuers,’ concludes the commander.
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