⠀ March 7th. Evening. ⠀ Evening application, two girls 11 years old, Podolsk. Moscow is standing before the Women's New Year. Headquarters at 22:30 in Mack in Podolsk in the parking lot. Inforg Maria collects departures, equipment, orientations, surveys. Interaction with the police. As a result, we have several anchor points, the girls can be in the shopping center, in a couple of places, in the entrances and with friends. ⠀ Then 26 tasks for which 75 people managed to send, lack of equipment. We receive a tasty certificate from a caring citizen, the inorg rechecks, transfers the certificate to the police, since the certificate can be brought to the apartment, verification and that's it - found alive). By this time, one in the morning, 89 registered participants in the search. At 1:40 on March 8, everyone returned to headquarters, the search was completed. Thanks to all participants. I even managed to train one participant in the course of coordinators.”
Grigory Sergeev, chairman of the detachment: ⠀ “The Yarovaya bill passed the first reading, in which it becomes possible to determine the location of a mobile phone without a trial. But only for children. ⠀ If it's not a child that's gone, don't give a chance. Why such an injustice is unclear. Meanwhile, many adults with mobile phones get lost and die. I will now give the figures that are known to the LA detachment, these are the searches that we conducted and where we did not save a person. And these are not children. These are adults with mobile phones. ⠀ I addressed the president with this problem in July 2017. The dead were counted from the moment of this meeting until the end of 2018 - there are 70 of them. Seventy lives that could not be interrupted. For the understanding of the layman, these are people who could be found by pressing one button. ⠀ As a last resort, if it is not possible to establish the position through the networks, well, give us what rescuers around the world use. There are such things - virtual base stations that can be on the back of a rescuer, in a car, on a helicopter, on a drone. They will make it clear to the meter the location of the missing. All countries use them. But we are not. And people keep dying. ⠀ While the State Duma is waving away half-measures, people continue to die. Even children under this bill will not be much easier to look for. We are looking for a phone only if the parent and the owner of the contract agreed in writing. Searching without any technical details. That is the same as now. It looks like this: here is the tower and here is the azimuth. For many, this is the direction in which the lost. In fact, this is the middle of the repeater sector, the angle of which is usually 120°. That is, from the base station for tens of kilometers, for the entire width of outstretched arms. Usually we already know the direction where the lost one went. Rescue requires more precision. ⠀ It is necessary to add the correct words about accuracy to the bill, extend it to all ages, remove the written consent that argues with other regulations. We know what to do both at the legislative level and at the practical level. We hope that Irina Yarovaya's bill can be corrected. Wrote to her assistant. Looking forward to seeing you." (swipe to watch full video)
“A 12-year-old boy disappeared…”, “A girl left home and did not return, her eyes are blue, her hair is blond…”, “A man is missing…”. Such announcements about the loss of people are full of pages of printed publications and Internet resources. Who is involved in the search The police, the Ministry of Emergency Situations and volunteers, such as representatives of the organization "Liza Alert". Why is it called the search squad and what does it do? This will be discussed below.
Who is looking for missing people?
The statistics are harsh and inexorable, and it shows that in Russia, every half an hour, up to two hundred thousand applications from relatives searching for their missing loved ones are received annually at the police departments. The vast majority of these appeals are processed promptly, and people are located and returned to their families. Police officers, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, and more recently, volunteers of the Lisa Alert search squad are involved in the search. The life of the missing people depends on the coherence of the work of each member of the team and the efficiency of actions. Caring people form the backbone of the Liza Alert search squad. Why is it called that?
Liza - a girl who did not have time to help
The history of the detachment began in 2010. This summer, the boy Sasha and his mother disappeared. Volunteers came out to search, and the child was found alive and well. And in September, a girl, Liza Fomkina, from Orekhovo-Zuevo, went missing with her aunt and got lost. In the case of Lisa, the search was not started immediately, precious time was lost. Volunteers joined the search only on the fifth day after the disappearance of the child. 300 people were looking for her, who sincerely worried about the fate of a little unfamiliar girl. She was found 10 days after she went missing. Unfortunately, help came too late. A 5-year-old girl survived in the forest without food and water for nine days, but did not wait for her saviors.
Volunteers who participated in the search on September 24, 2010 were shocked to the core by what happened. On the same day, they organized a volunteer search squad "Lisa Alert". Why it is called so, every participant in this movement knows.
Alert means search
The name of the little heroic girl Liza has become a symbol of human participation and complicity. The word "alert" in translation from English means "search".
In the United States, the Amber Alert system has been operating since the mid-1990s, thanks to which information about each missing child gets on the scoreboard in public places, on the radio, in newspapers, and appears on the Internet. In our country, unfortunately, there is no such system yet. Employees of the Liza Alert search squad are trying on their own to introduce, if not an analogue of such a system in Russia, then at least make information about someone else's misfortune available. Indeed, in the case when people disappear, and especially children, every minute counts.
Who are the members of the search party?
Why the squad is called "Lisa Alert", you now know. Let's talk about its composition.
The detachment from Moscow, the first in this truly all-Russian movement, is the largest and most active. To date, divisions with a different number of participants have been formed in forty regions of the country.
There is no single control center here, each department operates independently. But there is a constant connection between them, which is carried out as a result of the training of new employees, the exchange of experience and information. The organization does not have settlement accounts, all activities are carried out on a voluntary basis. Volunteers are provided with the necessary equipment, means of communication and transport during the search work. During long searches, the participants of the rescue operation are provided with food.
Search engines do not charge money for their services. Those who want to help can sign up for a detachment, provide assistance with technical means or other feasible support. And each participant knows why the group is called "Lisa Alert", and is afraid of not being able to meet those who are in trouble.
How is the search going?
Representatives of the detachment seek to inform people about what to do if a person is missing. The fate of the lost people depends on the clear and timely actions of the relatives who applied. According to statistics, when contacting on the first day, 98% of the lost are found, on the second day - 85%, when contacting on the third day, the percentage of a happy outcome decreases to 60%. And later, the chances of finding a missing person alive, especially a child, are practically reduced to zero.
In the case of Liza Fomkina, active searches began only on the fifth day, which led to a tragedy that shocked the volunteers. That is why the search party is called "Lisa Alert" - it is not only a tribute to memory, but also an eternal reminder that someone is waiting for help at the moment.
Interaction with government agencies
Representatives of the search engines over the years of the detachment's existence have established contact with the police and the Ministry of Emergency Situations. After all, the main task of finding missing people lies with the authorities. But what can one district inspector do if a person is lost in the forest? given the scope of the search.
The Lisa Alert search party comes to the rescue. Volunteers create mobile search groups, draw up an action plan, collect information about the missing person, where and when he was last seen. Every little thing can be the key to a happy ending.
Where does the search begin?
There is a hotline in the search squad. A single number valid throughout the country. For those who have lost their loved ones, but hope to find them, sometimes he becomes the only thread to salvation. The operator takes the call, but the volunteers don't act without a missing person's report being filed with the police. It is not uncommon for hooligans to call and tell the tragic story of a missing person. If there is a statement to the police, representatives of the search squad enter the case, deploying organized and well-coordinated activities, not forgetting for a minute why it is called “Liza Alert”.
Operation "Search"
Each member of the detachment is given his place and his role in the operation. At the main headquarters, they operate remotely, collecting information bit by bit, distributing it in the media, on the Internet, posting ads, and compiling a map of the search area.
An operational headquarters is deployed directly on the spot. In it, the coordinator determines the search and rescue plan, a detailed map of the area is drawn up with the definition of search squares for each member of the group. Here, the radio operator provides communication with each participant, so that in case of detection, the rest of the participants in the search can come to the rescue immediately. During long searches, the support team arranges for the supply of food, water and other necessary materials so that the search continues without stopping.
Teams of volunteers trained to navigate rough terrain work directly in the search area. Beginners are always put next to experienced search engines. If necessary, helicopters of the aviation group will take to the skies to provide aerial reconnaissance. If the search area is far away, then the groups can be delivered by all-terrain vehicles. As part of the search engines there are cynologists with dogs who help to find lost people. If the tragedy occurred near a reservoir, divers from the Ministry of Emergency Situations inspect the water area. All these forces are involved, depending on the complexity of the search, in order to have time to come to the rescue and not repeat the situation that happened many years ago, and remind yourself why it is called “Lisa Alert”.
Who can become a squad member?
The ranks of the search detachment "Liza Alert" are open to everyone. Everyone can provide all possible assistance. Students, retirees, accountants, housewives, athletes or freelancers can all become members of the Volunteer Squad. Anyone who has reached the age of majority can become a volunteer. Those who are still in school can help spread and search for information on the Internet, but do not participate in active searches.
Why the Lisa Alert search squad is called that, we have already explained to you. Volunteers are taught first aid techniques, taught how to work with navigators, a compass, a radio station, and the basics of cartography. So that each volunteer can provide the necessary assistance to the victim and notify other team members of the find.
Search engines keep up with the times
The Lisa Alert search team has its own hotline number, the same throughout Russia. In each phone, these treasured numbers must be memorized. After all, in the case when a person is lost, there is not a minute to lose. The operator will instruct the applicant about the algorithm of actions.
Also on the official website of "Lisa Alert" you can find a search form, by filling out which, each applicant can be sure that this information will be seen in different parts of the country.
Now Lisa Alert has also got a mobile application. Anyone can download it to a smartphone. It's more of an app to notify volunteers that a person is missing in a particular region. It helps to quickly assemble rapid response teams.
Forewarned is forearmed
Members of the group are active preventive measures aimed at reducing the number of disappearances. Simple rules sometimes help save someone's life. Also, the staff of the Lisa Alert detachment (why they called it that, many think) developed clear algorithms for how to act during search operations in the forest, on a reservoir, in the city and in other conditions.
Despite all efforts, in Russia between 15,000 and 30,000 children go missing every year. Every tenth of them - forever. That's why "Lisa Alert" is called that, and the victory of these people is someone's life saved!
Friends, fellow search engines, media representatives and everyone
who is not indifferent to the problem of missing children!
It is known that many children go missing every year. We will not cite statistics that have set the teeth on edge, which only the lazy did not quote. What is clear is that now there are really huge resources for the operational search for the lost, thanks to several formed search and rescue teams. But these resources have become difficult to use, because the struggle for the right to be considered the “main”, “largest”, “most popular” search detachment in Moscow and the region is already crossing all boundaries. People forget about the goal, joining the struggle for leadership, which discredits the very idea of a volunteer movement to find children. For a long time we did not participate in the general controversy, considering it unworthy and frivolous for adults. But recent events simply force an answer. To begin with, I would like to tell you how it all began ...
And it all started in the forests near Chernogolovka, in June 2010, where many of us ended up by accident. At the autoforum, a call for help in search of a 4-year-old boy was thrown by Yulia (Taiga). The search continued almost around the clock, for 4 days. Then we were lucky and Sasha was found alive. Video: Sasha is sitting in the arms of Alexander Efimov (YoFA), it was he who discovered him. It is also seen how Pavel Filippovich (Pavel, Rasp) contacts the headquarters to report the situation. In total, more than 500 people took part in those searches. It is difficult to imagine the joy of the search engines when this news came, and the feeling with which they returned home. It was then, for the first time, that attempts were made to rally the volunteers into a single detachment, but the idea was unsuccessful.
In September, after the terrible fires burned out, and the dense forest became completely impassable because of the rubble, information came that 5-year-old Liza Fomkina and her aunt had disappeared in Orekhovo-Zuyevo. Active searches began when several days had already passed, but warm weather gave a chance for salvation. Pavel Filippovich (Pavel, Rasp) undertook to coordinate the search. For almost a week, he, along with Maxim (a car forum mate) and Maria (a family friend) coordinated more than 300 volunteers who worked alongside the police and military. They searched for the girl and aunt all over the city, in the surrounding villages, in abandoned basements and houses, in endless forests and swamps, and even in neighboring cities. The entire Internet was, figuratively speaking, “on the ears”. Little Lisa was discussed on forums and blogs, social networks and psychics.
Communities of all-terrain vehicles, quad bikers, cynologists, a forum of ferret lovers and other thematic resources broadcast information about the progress of the search around the clock, helped with notification and attracted the media for this. The goal was one - to notify as many people as possible so that they come in search. Those who searched in Chernogolovka also arrived and, of course, there were many new volunteers - among them Dmitry (Koleso), who searched at night and returned to the office in Moscow in the morning, and Alexander, the head of the volunteer fire brigade, Dmitry Volkov came with him (bayaga), who extinguished forest fires in the area before searching (now he leads the PSO "Polar Star") and Dmitry Lobanov (Hunter, Dmitry) with a dog - they were the ones who found the traces of Liza and her aunt, Masha, and friends, professional rescuers two Igors (Igor-73 and Igor - 107) and many, many, many others! It is simply impossible to list everyone! Several hundred caring people who abandoned their everyday lives and fled to the Moscow suburbs. The auto-forum, where Pavel described the chronology of events and attracted volunteers, collapsed from the number of visitors. The well-known LiveJournal wwwHYPERLINK "http://www.13sep2010.livejournal.com/".13sep2010.livejournal.com was opened, where about 20,000 people from all over the globe visited per day. Lisa and Masha were found too late. But that gigantic resonance, those mistakes and conclusions that were made after the searches left no other options than the creation of a professional volunteer search squad.
It became clear that one of the reasons for the failure in the search was the delay in obtaining operational information about the missing children, the disorganization and unpreparedness of the volunteers. The newly formed detachment was called upon to take on the training of volunteers, conducting training, and coordinating searches. Moreover, a team of volunteers has formed who have gained enough experience in conducting search operations. And under pressure from the public and volunteers, Pavel Filippovich (Pavel, Rasp), it was he, and not Grigory Sergeev (Grigoriy) and no one else created the Liza ALERT squad. LJ 13sep2010 a cry was thrown about the recruitment of volunteers in the detachment. Several hundred responses came, among them many who took an active part in the search. Even representatives of show business and authorities responded. Of course, there were those who joined on a common wave, many just sympathizers and "onlookers". The fact that they eventually left - did not come as a surprise, it has always been and will be so. But, the more precious to us that time-tested and experienced backbone that continues what we started has become. So, in memory and thanks to the little girl, the Liza ALERT detachment arose.
Late autumn and winter are a search lull. People walk less in the forest, they get lost less - a great time for training and exercises. Groups were created in certain areas of search, an action plan was built and general gatherings of all volunteers were held in order to develop a unified strategy and the governing body of the detachment - the Council. Large general detachment exercises were carried out, with the participation of all-terrain vehicles and foot search engines.
In February 2011, the detachment had to go through hard times. The administrators of the resource (www.lizaalert.org), led by businessman Grigory Sergeev (Grigoriy), who were recruited on a voluntary basis, decided to remove the Council from managing the squad and start managing the squad on their own. Dishonest methods were used: they limited the ability of the leadership of the detachment and volunteers who disagreed with the administrators to communicate on the forum, turned off private messages, banned by ip-address, attracted people who had nothing to do with the detachment and had never participated in the search. In order to disrupt the holding of the general meeting, photocopies of powers of attorney were presented, including from people who had never taken part in the activities of the detachment. Who were these people? And how such actions were supposed to help look for children? Information about training was deleted, and an entertaining meeting was scheduled at the recreation center on the same date. Slander on the leadership of the detachment spread, and new volunteers who sincerely did not understand anything and asked fair questions to the admins on the forum most often received a ban. In secret from the rest of the detachment, meetings were held that were passed off as a general meeting of the detachment. When the leadership of the detachment demanded that the administrators resign, they simply disconnected him from the forum. Soon, in a close circle, the initiative group of the forum gathered and proclaimed itself the leader of the detachment. These people did not ask anyone registered on the forum, did not look at the key searchers who did so much for the formation of the detachment. The main activity on the resource now is to attract as many people as possible, which is not difficult to do, given the number of interviews that they give out in the media, using the well-known and honest name of the detachment. Participating in the search, they misinform everyone, for example: the parents of Sasha Stepanov, who disappeared in May in the Mozhaisk district, are sure that a certain Grigory volunteer found him. 0 & p = 1 "sha, read Grigory Sergeev (Grigoriy), (43 minutes), although it is known for certain and displayed in the investigative documents that the huntsman A. Lebedev found the boy, who is not related to the search groups. Recently, accusations have been made against us, the organizers of the “Liza ALERT” detachment, that we interfere with the site administrators in their, as they say, “common cause”. Of course, we interfere J We do not distribute interviews, we do not involve the media for self-promotion, we do not conduct demonstration training under the guns of cameras, we do not wave flags and we do not take credit for information about the happy return of the lost to the family, but in fact we organize training and training. It is more difficult for them, knowing that the Liza ALERT squad exists as a legal entity and a community of professional search engines, and not as an Internet forum that accumulates caring people around it, and cannot use this huge human resource due to the lack of a clear and professional organization. It became more difficult for them to speak on TV, to give interviews in newspapers and magazines, telling how they organized the detachment. Because they did not organize it, and this is increasingly coming to the surface. It is even more strange that these people consider themselves entitled to give us instructions and accuse us of registering a detachment, which was publicly announced back in the autumn of last year.
Do you believe that what is written here is true? Try asking uncomfortable questions on the lizaalert.org forum and see how they react. To begin with, during the day your registration will be considered and checked whether you are worthy to communicate on the "volunteer" forum, information about this is posted on the forum. Your question will most likely be deleted, and you yourself will be banned or put on pre-moderation. Read the old forum topics, for example, the "Activities" section, pay attention to the nicknames of the people who read here. Are we a “detachment that exists only on paper”? But after all, it was we who organized the LA, as evidenced by all the early topics created on the forum. The authors of the undertakings have carried out and are conducting trainings and are in charge of a real detachment. Only these people are no longer on the site. And not on their own initiative. Try it, there is not much time left - what if you have time to read these topics before they get into the closed, from ordinary users, section?
But the ambitions of such "volunteers" as Grigory Sergeev (Grigoriy) will not stop us from achieving our initial goals and objectives. The team's work will continue. We will conduct training, training, participate in searches. That's what we've been doing all this year. In spite of everything, we are still sure that strength and results are not in quantity and “loudness”, but in quality. We weren't going to get into a public squabble with these people, but the sudden flood of accusations from them forced us to tell the truth. And, we are still sure that no matter what the detachment is called, the result of its work and the professionalism of the search engines are much more important than the number of publications and interviews in the media. We encourage all volunteers to strive for this.
Sincerely, the leaders of MoOO "PSO "Liza ALERT"
Pavel Filippovich
Dmitry Lobanov
Stanislav Shakel
Volunteers of the search and rescue squad "Lisa Alert" helped to find alive more than 20 thousand people in seven years. Even more could have been saved if the detachment had been helped by more people. To become a volunteer as easy as possible, Beeline launched a new search. BigPiccha interviewed three mailing list volunteers about their first experience helping the squad.
Alexander Ovchinnikov: “I used to look for the dead, but now I’m looking for the living”
I signed up for the newsletter about a month ago. The first time I received an SMS that a woman was missing near my dacha, but I had already left there. And the second time a person disappeared on the street next to me, already in the city, and I decided to go. But in general, he signed up for searches throughout Moscow, so it was a coincidence. Previously, he was looking for those who died during the Second World War in different regions of Russia, but now he decided to participate in the search for living people.
How was the search?
There were several carriages in cars, we were given a plan of places where my grandmother could go: the Izmailovo Church, a store next to the house. Her son said that he did not find the keys to the dacha at home, but she could hardly go there: she has Alzheimer's disease, and he has been taking her to the dacha himself for a long time.
Did volunteers also work at the dacha?
No, the coordinators called the watchman and found out she wasn't there.
Did the real search differ from your ideas about it?
No, it didn’t differ, I had previously watched a video from the search for “Lisa Alert” on YouTube, went to a training event at the Beeline office where I work, it was interesting to watch. They told how to protect the child from loss.
Have you told your children?
My child is still small, he is five years old, but there was information on how, for example, to collect children in the forest. It is forbidden to dress in green or brown, because a volunteer can walk a few meters from a lost person and not notice him. Then, if a person goes to the forest, he must have some kind of Snickers with him.
If a person is missing, you do not need to call him, you are unlikely to be able to help him. You ask: "Where are you?", he will say: "I'm in the forest." Well, that's it, you can't do anything about it. Therefore, you need to call not him, but the police, the Ministry of Emergencies. It is believed that a statement about the loss of a person is accepted within three days. This is a big misconception: the police in Russia are obliged to accept the application on the first day.
Are you still going to search?
I'll try, it depends on the time and how close it is to me. I think so, it's interesting.
Have you told your friends about them?
Of course, family, relatives, relatives. Shared photos on Facebook. Basically they wrote: “Well done, great”, but perhaps someone wants to come. I drew some attention to the detachment.
Mikhail Semenov: "I get more than I give"
I probably learned about Lisa Alert from social networks, there were constant reposts with information about the missing. Then I went to the forum and studied the search technique more deeply. As a student, I was engaged in sports tourism, we traveled together to some Kyrgyzstan and rafted along the rivers on catamarans for a month. It was such an experience of communicating with the forest, non-standard situations did not frighten us at all. Therefore, I am familiar with maps, equipment, walking in azimuth and so on.
What role did you choose for yourself in the detachment?
Walking search engine. There are very different professions, and each person can help. This is cartography, mailing lists, reposts, the dialing group is very active and effective: it can find people without going out into the street.
How did you go from reading the forum to actively searching?
I was in the subject, but there was no motive to take action. The motive was the search for Artem Kuznetsov in the Lipetsk region.
Why exactly him?
(Pause.) The child is small, three years old. They came with their father and sister for haymaking. Artyom wanted to play hide and seek, but his sister didn't want to, and he ran away from her. They couldn't find him for a very long time. It was a resonant search, when a lot of people are involved, they use the media. I found out about him through social networks, began to shift it to myself: I have children. I'm talking about it now, and a lump in my throat. It was impossible to pass.
The boy was never found. He spent about four days alone in the forest and eventually died of dehydration.
What are your memories of the search for Artyom, probably it was very difficult emotionally?
Yes, definitely. When there is a long distance to the search area, then people cooperate and ride in a carriage with someone else. We drove there for six hours and another six hours back, and during this time I was given such a course as a young fighter. I got into an interesting crew - with one of the most experienced searchers and with a representative of the PR service of Lisa Alert. We talked about everything: about the specifics of the search, about experience, about different situations. For me, it was such an introductory theoretical course.
We had not reached literally ten minutes when the information about the stop of the search came. It often happens that you do not reach the search and get a hang up. Artem was found dead. First, they found his sandal and the place where he spent the night, and then himself. Cynological dog found, if I'm not mistaken.
Do such stories demotivate or, on the contrary, encourage more participation and involvement of people?
When you talk to people about memorable searches, everyone says: those who we did not find are remembered. The analysis of where the work has not been done begins. This is absolute mathematics, everything can be calculated: on average, a child is within a diameter of five kilometers from the place of loss. This is an area of 20 square kilometers. It takes a lot of people to close them. One team closes such and such territory. That is, we can calculate: with our resources, we could find, but did not find.
At that time, we were very short of people. We drove up and saw that the locals were working in the hayfield. They asked themselves: how can people live, exist, when this happens nearby? Local residents knew about the search, but did not go out, for some reason they thought that it was the father who was guilty and the death was violent. Then they drove the poor father, he answered on a polygraph.
And only when they found the shoes of this child, they began to drive the state employees out in search ... The governor helped us a lot, they additionally provided about four to five hundred policemen and civil servants for the search.
Was it done promptly?
No, unfortunately it took a long time. We did not have time - so it was not prompt. It was already on the fifth day of the search, when the child spent five nights in the forest alone.
How many people did it take to find him?
I can’t say for sure, but offhand in the region of 2000 people.
BigPicchi note. During the search for Artem Kuznetsov, the volunteers were greatly helped by the mobile base station (pictured), which Beeline brought to Lipetsk from Moscow. Thanks to her, it became possible to synchronize maps, coordinate better and work faster, which is very important for searches.
This was my first search, but not the only one. Now I am subscribed to all searches in Moscow and the Moscow region. On the eve of the summer season, when many people get lost in the forest, I participate in the city searches. Everyone can help, it does not have to be a person with sports experience, like me, with equipment, with free time. My last experience was the search for an adult male: 33 years old, disabled, disoriented. He and his father rode bicycles in the Meshchersky park, he got scared of the dog and left in an unknown direction.
They couldn't find him for four days. He could not call for help, and people do not react to such lost ones. They will approach a small child, if the grandmother sits alone at the bus stop in the evening, they will also help, but he outwardly looks like an adult man, so he does not attract attention.
Then I worked out the task at the stations. It was necessary to conduct a survey, make a sticker and communicate with the linear police departments in the Belarusian and Kiev directions. The task was to interview, let's say, the residents of the station, visually inspect if there are people who look like the lost one, paste over our stands with orientation papers and ask the police if there were any incidents with similar people in four days on the line of incidents: with men of the same age and, for example, with a bicycle.
I was amazed that in the Kiev direction, all the employees, let's say, "Lisa Alert" are friendly. They immediately said: let's leave the orientation, we will look. The officer on duty at the police department immediately informed all employees of the department by radio that a search was underway, ordered everyone to come to the duty unit, handed out a photo of the missing person, and everyone took a picture of him. It was very prompt and without words at all, on the machine.
My work took two hours, I printed out 20 orientations and pasted them, closed a large part of the search. Even if you walk for several days and do not find a person, this is not a reason to be upset, on the contrary, you should be proud, because you have narrowed the search area. So, it is not here, you need to concentrate on other places. It's about motivation.
I understand that you are easily combining the search with family and work?
Yes, I have two children, my daughter is a year and a half, my son is three and a half, I have a job - I am a sales manager at Beeline. Of course, there is not much time, but to devote two hours after work to a really important matter related to people's lives is not so much.
I know volunteers who go out searching two or three times a month, combining it with work and business. Anyone can help, the more people the better. Someone can print orientations, someone can take them to the headquarters near the metro, someone can take the search engines to the forest or city search in a free car.
One of my motivations is this: now I don’t have the opportunity to fully go hiking. I tried to hunt, but I feel sorry for the animals, and I couldn't. And the search is communication with nature, physical activity and, if this does not sound cynical, also a kind of hunting. Such an unusual hobby. I get more than I give.
Do you encourage family and friends to participate?
Yes, I'm subversive in many places (laughs). Without fanaticism, of course: you cannot force a person. It's just that there are people who can't get past the problem. I analyzed why I was doing this: I can’t get past a crying child if he is alone, I can’t help but carry the bag to the subway. Some people have such upbringing and a sense of responsibility, some do not. Probably, no one can be blamed and reproached. I tell the guys from tourism about the search, and sometimes we go together.
Igor: “Someone has to do it. I should"
I recently found out about Lisa Alert, went to the site and subscribed to the newsletter.
What search have you already been on?
We walked around the city with a friend, I invited him. In St. Petersburg. I don't have any special impressions. Probably, someone has to do it - so I have to do it. My friend, who absolutely agrees with me, did the same. That's the whole principle. From our police, even in 2018, there is no sense.
Do you encourage your relatives and friends to participate in the search?
No, I'm not knocking anyone out, I'm not putting together any team. It's just that if I see among my relatives a person who agrees with me, coincides with me in the vision of this problem, then I will simply offer him, and he will 100% take it and go, as happened with my best friend. I just told him: "Let's go", he agreed, and the time was night. We got into the car and drove off.
Long searched?
(Turning to a friend.) How long did we walk, Ruslan? Four, five o'clock.
Found?
No, the person was not found.
Will you still ride? At night?
It doesn't matter, there will be time - I'll go right away, and that's it. Of course I will. I don’t care where, I have a car - I’ll take it, I’ll go anywhere.
How to become a volunteer
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In the search, any help is important: calling hospitals, printing and posting orientation sheets, interviewing witnesses, interacting with relatives and the police, the opportunity to take pedestrians to search or take part in the search operation itself. In the summer there will be a lot of searches, but there are always not enough people. We really care about everyone.
