Under the supervision of rescuers, police and firefighters, soldiers of the 16th Lower Silesian Territorial Defence Brigade were practicing water rescue actions. They learned the principles of creating tyraliers and the alleged chain of life to save drowning people. They learned, among others, to operate lifeboats and dinghys to then carry out a water landing. The training was attended by 100 soldiers of the Lower Silesian WOT.
– Exercises on Mietkowski Dam and in the surroundings are held annually. We want to prepare our troops for emergency consequence in the event of an emergency and accidents on the water," explains Colonel Edward Chła, commander 16 Lower Silesian Territorial Defence Brigade. – Apart from the military, rescuers of the Water Volunteer Rescue Service, the Water Rescue Service in Wrocław, the State Fire Service and the Police besides participate. Our aim is to practice cooperation between services, common cognition of procedures and to make a common model of emergency response," the officer adds.
During the “Borzygniew ‘25” exercise, territorialists under the supervision of paramedics and uniformed officers learned, among others, to rescue a drowning man utilizing the alleged chain of life, to land from the boat to the water to aid the injured person, to make in the water a tyraliera to search for a missing person. Training led by police besides included activities on land, specified as learning overpowering techniques. The training besides went through the recently established 16 BOT group K9, i.e. Search and rescue squad with dogs.
– We are aware of the importance of rescue measures both on land and on water. We had the chance to test ourselves in the flood action last autumn. Territorials from Lower Silesia participated, among others, in evacuations of residents of the Śląski PartyWhen the dam broke under force of water and flooded the city. – stresses Colonel Chła. “In an area specified as Lower Silesia, where the flood hazard is high, the ability to act on the water is peculiarly important,” he emphasised.
Rescuers from the Lower Silesian WOPR trained territorialists from search activities in shallow waters. Soldiers had, for example, to make a tyrallier in the water on the basis of instructions from instructors and to decision in specified a formation, to look for a individual who disappeared below the surface. The second exercise was the alleged chain of life. You had to hold hands and enter the water to get the drowning 1 out safely. It seems simple. However, if a “common move” is active in specified action, and not qualified rescuers, there is frequently another tragedy – says Krzysztof Skrzyniarz, president of the Lower Silesian WOPR. He stresses that in specified situations it is crucial to get into the water, hold people among themselves, and decently guide the people involved. “For example, the highest individual should enter the water first, and at the end the lowest. specified skills will not only be useful on the job, but besides in private life," says the Boxer.
Another task of the territorials was to jump into the water from the boat to pull the drowning individual out. incapable to execute specified a leap, erstwhile a helper does not know the rules, it may be dangerous. – During the landing, we gotta remember that the boat can sail at a velocity of up to 70 km/h, while the water already at 50 km/h is hard as concrete. So if individual falls out of a boat at this velocity into the water, they may endure serious injuries. During rescue operations the velocity safe for the lifeguard is 20–30 km. So it is highly crucial to be able to jump in the water correctly and then to get the victim onto the boat safely – the case emphasizes.
WOT soldiers outside the WOPR and police besides trained rescuers from the Water Rescue Service. – Soldiers under our supervision practice basic techniques of entering and jumping into water. The lifeguard who takes part in the action, of course, is wearing a vest and helmet, but during the jump, he should besides defend his face with his hand. – explains Dariusz Gwiadzinski from the Water Rescue Service in Wrocław. And he adds that you always jump towards boating, never the another way around. “We besides teach territorials the usage of life darts and wheels, the handling of pontoons, the sinking of the water into the pontoons and towing them to shore,” adds Starwiędziński.
– The hardest thing for me was a boat landing. We were on a police boat and jumping into the water. The action was akin with a water scooter. At advanced velocity I was a small afraid to jump into the water – admits the scale. Marcela, who in territorial defence troops served for more than 2 years.
As part of the WOPR exercises from Wrocław, they conducted a demonstration of rescue activities on the water, presented, among others, how to safely put up the turned boat. The exercises in Zalew Mietkowski were besides attended by guests from abroad – 3 representatives of civilian defence from Germany and 2 from the Czech Republic.
