Volunteers rescue unconscious man from Saratov snowdrift

With the arrival of frost, volunteers from the «Lisa Alert» search party in Saratov Oblast patrol the night streets in search of citizens who need help. This long-standing tradition aims to prevent people from going missing in the winter. Alexander Singh, a press service representative of the search party, and volunteers told 164.RU how the duties are carried out.

— We gather in crews of 2-3 people. We don«t drive alone for safety reasons. And we always leave space in the car for a potential victim. It»s preferable to have a girl in the crew, as it often helps establish contact and not scare the person. One of the gas station chains helps us refuel the cars. The patrol area mainly depends on where the volunteers live. We try to cover the center of Saratov and Engels, and if there are enough volunteers, we cover other areas as well.

Alexander«s call sign in the unit is »Shanu«. He says that during a raid, the team tries to pay attention to all people, analyzing their age, behavior, gait, walking speed, and whether they have belongings or a phone in hand. This helps determine if a person is in distress or just going about their business or walking.

— One of the memorable stories: last year we helped a man who missed his transport to the station. He had leg problems and couldn«t walk quickly. We drove him to the station, sat him in the waiting room, bought him tea and a snack. He was very grateful, offered money, but our unit does not accept funds.

The start of this year has also been rich in various cases. Volunteer Ksenia said that at the corner of Astrakhanskaya and 2nd Sadovaya streets, a man was spotted lying in a snowdrift. He was young, seemed sober, but was speaking incoherently. They called an ambulance and after handing him over to the medics, continued patrolling.

— Once, our night patrol started on 6th Dachnaya, — continues Alexander. — We were picking up Lyuda, her call sign is «Tasha». She reported seeing a man unsuccessfully trying to hitch a ride nearby. We drove up, offered help, asked where he lives. It turned out not very far, also in the Leninsky district. His phone had died, and he couldn«t call a taxi. The man was very cold, literally couldn»t feel his toes. We safely delivered him to his address.

Later, the patrol noticed a car with an open hood and a dead battery. In three minutes, the volunteers helped start the battery using a jump starter. The driver from the city of Penza was very grateful to the caring Saratov residents and sped off into the night.

If you see a passerby at risk or a clearly disoriented person — call 112 or the «Lisa Alert» hotline: 8(800)700-54-52.