The profession is a lifeguard. How an Emergencies Ministry officer prevented a tragedy in a Gomel restaurant

That September evening in one of the Gomel restaurants will be remembered for a long time by its staff and visitors. What happened before their eyes almost led to the death of a man. The tragedy did not happen only thanks to the skillful and competent actions of an officer of the Ministry of Emergency Situations – Lieutenant Colonel of the Internal Service Zakhar Danilenko. After getting acquainted with him, the correspondents of “NG” learned the details.

The choice of profession of the future rescuer was influenced by a tragic incident experienced in childhood. As a result of the fire, his grandfather died due to a short circuit of the electrical wiring, Zahar recalls:

- It was the first time I really understood the dangers of fire. When I grow up, I want to save people.

To realize the dream, the guy went purposefully: he participated in the movement of young rescuers-firefighters, actively engaged in sports, and after school he entered the Gomel Engineering Institute of the Ministry of Emergency Situations. During his studies, the student also passed the first baptism of battle:

- Of course, we were not allowed into the heat. But what they saw was enough to immerse themselves in reality. No matter what you think of her in films and stories, she is different in life. The aura of romance was replaced by an understanding of the whole difficulty of the profession. How hard is it to work on a fire all night? It became clear why we are so intensely driven in physical training, set the most difficult tasks and prepare for the most incredible situations, whether it is extinguishing a fire, going to the scene of an accident, working with a special tool, providing emergency medical care and much, much more. You never know what you will have to deal with and what skills you will need. But our profession is to be ready for anything at any time of the day or night. After graduation, Zakhar Danilenko served in a small homeland in Mogilev, and since 2019 - in the Gomel regional department of the Ministry of Emergency Situations. Currently - in the position of chief specialist of the department of organization of public education and vocational training.

Leading the direction of prevention and promotion of safe living, Zakhar spent a lot of time working with children. For example, even in Mogilev, he prepared for various meetings, competitions and competitions the regional team of the Belarusian Youth Public Organization of Firefighters. The program included first aid training for various types of injuries and injuries, the officer said:

- Thanks to this, I myself was constantly learning, honing basic skills - performing the same cardiopulmonary resuscitation, to automatism. But, to be honest, I did not think that the day would come when these skills would be needed in practice.

However, this day for Zakhar Danilenko was September 11. On that Friday, he and his wife Natalia decided to celebrate the 75th anniversary of her grandmother Nina Vasilievna. Places for a family event were booked in a small restaurant in the center of Gomel. There at the next table rested a company of adults, says Zahar:

- I sat so that from my seat I could see everything that was going on. At some point, people started taking pictures. One woman took some pictures on her phone and started looking for someone to take a picture of them all together. So I came up and offered to help. I took a picture, thanked me, and I went back to the place.

In less than half an hour, Zakhar needed a different kind of help, with life and death at stake.

The festive dinner was nearing the end - it was left to wait for dessert, when suddenly the strange began. One of the women at the same table opposite jumped up sharply, and sitting next to the elderly man fell on his side. Realizing that he was sick, Zakhar rushed to help:

- On the move, I saw a woman trying to tap her hand on the back of a man. Apparently, he choked on food. Then I decided to use Heimlich, an emergency first aid method for a person who cannot breathe because of a food or other object that has blocked the airways.

This method is most effective when the victim can still stand on his feet. However, in this case, he was unconscious and completely limp. The problem was compounded by the fact that the man was small, but massive. Keeping his body in the right position was extremely difficult. The situation was getting worse by the minute, Zakhar said:

- The face of the man right before his eyes became gray-blue. There was no breathing, no pulse. I realized that something else had to be done urgently, otherwise the man would die in my arms. I decided to start cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Shake hands! After the victim was laid on the floor, the rescuer opened his mouth and, as far as possible, began to extract the remains of food. By the way, the trouble happened, presumably, because of a piece of meat that blocked the airways.

Then, placing the palms in the right way on the chest, Zahar began to press:

- As it should be in such cases, he counted thirty “pumps”. I was already mentally preparing for the next stage - to do artificial respiration. And then exactly after the thirtieth time I heard a faint sigh. The man with wheezing, apparently, something prevented him, began to breathe, and the complexion gradually returned to the natural. Pulse also showed up.

Even before the ambulance arrived, nurses from the nearby dental clinic came running. They were called by a visitor to the restaurant. By the way, many of them did not remain indifferent and tried to help. No one really knew how.

The rescue baton was picked up only by the ambulance brigade that arrived. With the help of special forceps, medical workers extracted a piece of meat from the respiratory tract of the victim. Finally, the rescuer helped put the man on a stretcher, and he was taken away. He opened his eyes, but he didn’t know what was going on.

When Zahar returned to the restaurant, visitors greeted him with applause. Many also approached in person, thanking and shook hands.

The next day, Zakhar got a call from the man’s daughter and said that he had already been transferred from the intensive care unit to the ward. She appealed to the Ministry of Emergency Situations, addressing words of gratitude to the officer. Only then did his colleagues learn of his actions.

Summarizing what happened, Zakhar Danilenko does not hide that he himself experienced the shock that evening:

- After all, training on a dummy is one thing, and the real situation is quite another. Even knowing what to do and how to do it, you experience stress that is difficult to describe in words. Now, when I have to conduct classes on emergency care, I will be able to give an example from personal practice, talk about those nuances that cannot be foreseen during classes.

THEME

At the request of our hero and from the editorial board, we urge readers to be careful in everyday life - for example, during meals, especially at festive feasts. According to open sources, about 160 thousand people die annually from asphyxia, choking on food. Unfortunately, there are many sad examples. Recently in Petrikov during a family feast, a 49-year-old man choked on a barbecue and died in front of relatives. And in June, an accident that killed a 70-year-old pensioner occurred in Polotsk district. The reason was a slice of orange that got into the respiratory tract of a woman.

Stand behind the victim, wrap his hands around the waist. Squeeze one hand into a fist and place it on the victim's stomach just above the navel but below the rib arc. The thumb should be directed inside the abdomen.

Cover your fist with your second hand. Make a sharp push in and up towards the diaphragm. The hands need to be sharply bent at the elbows. Don't press your ribs.

Repeat the tremors (in series five times) until the object flies or the person begins to breathe.

prolesk@sb.by