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Mission: To the Rescue

Mission: To the Rescue

07.07.2026

They were united by their mission to help people and to race against time – a race that meant the difference between life and death. Rescuers from the Provincial Ambulance Station in Przemyśl (WSPR), the Ukrainian Mountain Guides Association ‘Rovin’ and the State Emergency Service of Ukraine are implementing the RescueFirstAid project, worth almost 2.3 million euros.

Good cooperation between emergency services is crucial in dealing with the aftermath of accidents and disasters, especially when human lives are at stake. There are no borders between countries in this regard, and a good understanding of partners in neighbouring countries can be crucial in neutralising threats.

We have been cooperating with the Ukrainian side for years, for example by responding to various large-scale incidents in this particular border area, such as accidents involving Ukrainian coaches. Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has shown that there is a need to exchange experiences and improve the quality of the medical services we provide. The project was set up precisely to prepare Polish and Ukrainian emergency services to provide professional mutual support. This is intended to strengthen and develop our mountain rescue and medical teams in the border area, emphasises Rafał Kijanka, director of the Provincial Ambulance Station in Przemyśl.

The work of paramedics requires them to constantly improve their skills so that they can provide the best possible care to patients in high-stress situations. To this end, training is essential and forms an important part of the project.

The main focus is on emergency medical services, comprising first-aid training (…) as well as advanced training in water and mountain rescue. We are also planning training courses that we have not previously conducted very often due to the absence of such risks. Following the outbreak of war in Ukraine, military, chemical, biological and, unfortunately, radiological threats have emerged. We are therefore planning training in battlefield medicine, where paramedics will be able to familiarise themselves with decontamination equipment: special chambers, protective suits and full-face masks. We will share this expertise precisely so that we can provide more effective assistance to people on both sides of the border, explains the director of the Przemyśl WSPR.

The project includes plans for international conferences, meetings and the specialist training courses mentioned above. The project partners will also develop joint solutions for cooperation during crisis situations in the cross-border region.

The project also involves investment in equipment. The Polish side will receive two vehicles: an ambulance and a specialised vehicle fitted with a generator and lighting, as well as medical equipment such as ultrasound scanners, defibrillators and training manikins. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian partners plan to purchase, amongst other things, snowmobiles, tracked rescue vehicles, specialist drones, avalanche rescue kits, training manikins, protective suits and rescue kits. Thanks to the cooperation within the project, Ukrainian rescue services will gain the knowledge required to join the International Commission for Alpine Rescue (ICAR-CISA).

An important initiative being implemented on the Ukrainian side is the launch of the ‘Ratunek’ (‘Poriatunok’/’Rescue’) app, which makes it easier to locate missing persons and obtain information about their state of health, thereby enabling help to be delivered quicker and in a better-prepared manner.

It will be an app compatible with the one we have in Poland – points out Ms Katarzyna. – This will improve cooperation between the emergency services. It will also eliminate the language barrier and the issue of different apps – for example, the Ukrainian one only works in Ukraine, whilst the Polish one only works in Poland – which is why this is such an important element. Whether we’re in the Ukrainian Carpathians or the Polish Bieszczady Mountains, we’ll be able to call the emergency services using this app, adds the director of WSPR.

The activities carried out as part of the RescueFirstAid project will enhance the skills of first-aiders, thereby improving the safety of residents in border areas, travellers and tourists.

As we have seen time and again, natural disasters, epidemics and catastrophes know no borders. Thanks to this project, aid will certainly reach those in need more quickly and will be more effective and efficient – concludes Katarzyna Solarz.