Łukasz Telus, the chief of the Volunteer Fire Service Specialist Rescue Unit in Wroclaw, says that it is a record year in terms of the number of operations. "This year, we were asked to assist in 34 searches. We participated in 20 field operations and checked sites of structural collapses 4 times. 10 operations were cancelled at the time of our arrival, because missing persons had been found," enumerates Telus. He adds that they had most work to do in July and September. "There were weeks when we went out on an operation every second day," says the volunteer fireman.
Volunteer firemen
After the decision that their help is necessary, the group goes out within 30 to 90 minutes. This divergence results from the fact that members of the Unit are volunteers. They receive no remuneration for their work. Rescuers not only sacrifice their spare time, but they also take breaks at work when necessary, which requires much patience from their superiors.
”It takes two hours on average to search a site of structural collapse with the help of rescue dogs. But when we begin to look for someone in the field, this time can be much longer. We search the place until we and our dogs run out of strength," rescuers say.
In September, 7 firemen and 2 dogs from Wroclaw took part in searching for two boys at the age of 4 and 10 years, who went missing in Wałbrzych in the area of the Książ Landscape Park. The operation lasted over 15 hours. According to information received by firemen from the police, a grandfather with his two grandsons and a dog went out for a walk that afternoon. Suddenly, the animal slipped the leash, the children ran after it, and the grandfather lost sight of them.
”We were dispatched to the operation site at 8:50 p.m. When we were leaving Wroclaw at 9:45 p.m., we received the first good news. The older boy and the dog were found near the house. Unfortunately, because of his autism, he was unable to provide any further details about the event," recollects the chief of the Specialist Rescue Unit. The area where the second boy might be found was divided into sectors. A team of firemen, policemen or Mountain Volunteer Search and Rescue (GOPR) rescuers was assigned to each sector. A helicopter equipped with a thermal camera took part in search operations, too. Before 9:00 a.m., a policeman found the boy sleeping on the ground. During the operation, over 300 hectares of the difficult mountainous area were searched.
”We have to intervene increasingly often every year, which entails higher costs of functioning, particularly those related to operations. Apart from that, the functioning of the unit includes the participation of firemen in specialist trainings and the purchase of rescue equipment necessary for effective search operations.”
The Volunteer Fire Service Specialist Rescue Unit is financed mainly by the City Council of Wroclaw and gifts in the form of 1% of income tax. This year's amount of funds obtained in this way turned out to be 15% smaller. At the same time, the number of operations rose by almost 40%.
Looking for support
Rescuers want to acquire new sponsors, whose financial support would allow the unit to develop further. One of the existing sponsors – PKN ORLEN – submitted funds for the purchase and maintenance of a Labrador retriever. Accordingly called Orlen, the biscuit-retriever is trained as a rescue dog under his guide’s supervision. As regards other 15 dogs serving in the unit, all costs of their maintenance or veterinary care are covered by volunteers from their own household budgets.
The volunteers consider also organising a fundraising in order to obtain money for the purchase of rescue equipment. Recent amendments to the Act on public fundraising simplify formalities required for such initiatives.
