The nomination "Responsible for those...": Alexander Skvortsov was the first to find the tailed one and gave him a heart massage.
The ill-fated fire in one of Cheboksary's high-rise buildings occurred on a July day in 2025. According to Izvestia, with reference to the press service of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia, firefighters first evacuated 18 people from the smoke-filled entrance, and then six more residents were taken out of the house in emergency rooms. But, as it turned out, these were not all those who needed to be saved from the fire and smoke.
"The fire broke out in another area of the exit route. We arrived right behind Fire and Rescue Unit 4, and the guys had already begun work. Then we entered the apartment through the door, where my team and I began searching for possible victims. When the flames were shot down and the room was being ventilated, I found the cat unconscious," said Alexander Skvortsov, head of the guard of the sixth fire and rescue unit of the fifth Fire and Rescue squad of the FPS of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia in the Chuvash Republic.
The snow-white cat hid on the balcony, but unfortunately, carbon monoxide isn't easy to escape. By the time the firefighters arrived, the little cat had already inhaled the acrid smoke. Alexander had no time to think about what to do with the lifeless cat. So, the rescuer began performing CPR.
"When I found him, he was already lying there and not breathing. After performing CPR for about a minute and a half, the cat opened his eyes. Then I picked him up and carried him outside. There, I handed him over to his owner, alive and almost healthy," continues Alexander Skvortsov.
It turned out that the rescuers in Skvortsov's Chuvash detachment already have animal rescue skills, moreover, the guys are studying this issue professionally. They read specialized literature on the rescue and resuscitation of cats and dogs. And for good reason. Such knowledge is already yielding results in practice.
"To be honest, I don't remember how many animals I've saved, but there have been cases in my work. I've been working in the fire department for 15 years now, and I try to teach my staff something new all the time," says the rescuer.
According to Alexander Skvortsov, CPR and artificial respiration for animals differ from that required for humans. He says his resuscitation of the cat wasn't perfect and there's still room for improvement. However, the furry creature itself didn't complain about its rescuer and was easily handed over to its grateful owner to continue living its happy feline life.
Photos and videos courtesy of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations press service and from the personal archive of Alexander Skvortsov.