Each trip to the front-line territory for the Ukrainian Red Cross rapid response teams begins long before the vehicle leaves its place. First, there is a call, an application, and clarification of details. Only then comes the road to where the distance to the line of separation is measured in minutes of drone flight. The head of the operational response sector of the Ukrainian Red Cross Emergency Response Service, Oleksandr Lavreniuk, explained how the work of evacuation teams is organized, why some trips involve two people, while others require a whole team, and what happens when a person refuses evacuation on the way.
The composition of the crew depends on the person’s condition, not the distance
The number of people in the crew is determined not by the route, but by the physical condition of the person being evacuated. Oleksandr gives an example: if a person weighing 120 kilograms needs to be carried down from the second floor, passed on, and lifted again, four volunteers are sent on the trip. If the person is immobile and moves in a wheelchair, two people are enough – the team has special devices that allow them to lower the chair down the stairs without additional physical strength.
The format of assistance is also tailored to the specific situation. When a person is technically able to move on their own – for example, has a broken leg but does not require medical supervision – the team can organize a train ride.
We will come, we will help you, we will meet you, take you with your belongings, take you to the train, and our guys and girls in Lviv will come to meet you, take you to the point where you need to go.
– explains the volunteer.
The team’s composition on the trip takes into account even the weight of the passenger in relation to the physical capabilities of the volunteers.
If we see that a person weighs 80 kilograms, and we have two girls in the crew, well, it’s not very good to overload them…
– says Oleksandr, adding that among the volunteers there are those who can outdo men.
The application for transportation goes through several stages of verification
The process always starts with a phone call or a request through the website. The team sends the applicant a application form, after filling out which they contact the person directly – clarify the state of health, the need for medical supervision, the availability of hospital discharge papers, and the desired date of departure. Applications can be submitted by the person themselves, their relatives, doctors of medical institutions, and public organizations that care for a specific person – a veteran, an immobile person, or someone who needs constant care.
The speed of response depends on the region and the urgency of the request. In some regions, transportation is carried out on the same day upon request from a medical institution, in others – planned, within a day or two. If the route passes between regions, the commanders of neighboring regions are involved in the process, and the planning of transportation is already carried out jointly.
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The most dangerous moment is being near the line of separation
Answering the question about the most risky stage of evacuation, Oleksandr clarifies that it is precisely the front-line territories. According to him, there is no longer a separate dangerous moment – the risk accompanies the entire time spent near the line of separation.
Since this is the closest territory, and you are carrying out evacuation, transportation, loading, unloading, even with constant monitoring, you are still in danger of constant injury.
– he notes, explaining this by the range of enemy drones and FPV equipment.
Before leaving for the front-line zone, the volunteer is obliged to put on a bulletproof vest, a helmet, and have a first-aid kit with them – in advance, not on the way. If there are available means of protection, they also provide them to the beneficiaries. The team also uses armored blankets – they cover the person or put them along the side of the car to reduce the risk of injury. However, the cars themselves are not armored.
Threat monitoring is carried out mainly through visual contact and hearing, as well as through constant communication between the commanders of the teams and the crews. If there is prior information about the danger, the commander passes it on to the crew, and the team either accelerates the evacuation or decides to hide on the spot.
Six volunteers have died since the start of the full-scale invasion
During the time of the full-scale war, six volunteers of the service have died – some during the performance of tasks, some at a time when they were no longer formally volunteers.
In their souls, they are all volunteers.
– says Oleksandr.
After returning from a trip, the commanders of the teams follow the psychological state of the team – this, according to Oleksandr, is their main duty, since “a healthy team is a good job”. The format of recovery is selected individually: joint trips to barbecue, fishing, watching movies, talking over tea or coffee, or simply a few days of rest from trips, if the situation was stressful.
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Refusal of evacuation is a normal reaction, says the head of the service
Oleksandr emphasizes that fear during a trip to zero – is a natural thing, and hiding it is more dangerous than recognizing it.
Everyone has their own fear threshold, everyone has their own level of fear. It’s much worse when a person doesn’t talk about their fears.
– says he.
According to him, if the commander does not know what his volunteer is afraid of, this puts the entire crew at risk. Newcomers without combat experience are not left alone and are not assigned the most responsible tasks – they work under the supervision of an experienced volunteer.
There have been cases where the team turned the car around during transportation. The volunteer recalls a story with a woman with a mental disorder, whom relatives tried to evacuate without her full understanding of the situation. On the train, working together with the doctors of “Medecins Sans Frontieres”, the team was forced to return the woman to her relatives.
We cannot evacuate by force, only with the person’s consent.
– explains he.
The woman was successfully evacuated by lying down after two or three weeks, after a conversation between her relatives.
Anyone over 18 can become a volunteer
Anyone from the age of 18 can join the rapid response teams of the Ukrainian Red Cross – no special education or experience is required.
We will teach you everything, come.
– says Oleksandr.
Novice volunteers undergo an introductory lecture, where they learn about the areas of work of the service – this is not only evacuation from front-line territories, but also duty at sports events, response to fires, mountain and water directions.
Basic training includes a course of pre-medical first aid and an introductory course for volunteers. Training does not end after admission – volunteers regularly undergo updates of knowledge, including courses on psychosocial support and first psychological aid, as well as in-depth courses on pre-medical aid, such as ITLS. To work directly on front-line evacuations, at least six months of training and personal permission from the team commander are required, who assesses the volunteer’s readiness based on the results of practical classes, simulations, and knowledge tests.
Those who understand that front-line work is not for them can remain in volunteering in a different format – helping children, immobile people, or participating in projects of the city or district organization of the Ukrainian Red Cross.
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