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It started with a bunker.
“A deminer makes a mistake only once,” recalls Andrius Blažauskas, the motto of all deminers. He dreamed of becoming a baker of buns, he was a locksmith and for 16 years as a volunteer in the national defense system, A. Blazauskas is now the Commander of the First Explosive Neutralization Squadron of the Engineering Battalion. Juozas Vitkus.
A.Blažauskas learned about the demining profession at an early age. At that time he lived in the Kaunas district, near Nemunas. Seniors said there was a WWII airfield and frontline somewhere in the area.
Throughout the Nemunas, Andrius’ classmate found a bunker in a water-washed area. “We found many different military elements in it: ammunition, explosives, the purpose of which we have not yet understood: we were about twelve or thirteen years old,” said A. Blažauskas. – That my classmate brought one of the findings to school. Thank goodness a teacher saw us and realized there was an explosive. He scolded us, disciplined us, called the police as necessary, and my friend explained where he found the item. “
After this adventure, the deminers were summoned and everything exploded in that bunker. A.Blažauskas himself observed the work of the deminers with his own eyes, which left him with an extremely large impression. “Even so far, that teacher remembers the incident when he is found, asks if we remember him and we reply that we remember him and laugh,” Andrius said.
Adrenaline is a constant companion in the work of deminers. (Personal file photo)
Towards self-knowledge
Andrew has been fascinated by the sound of the explosion since his youth and has been interested in the explosion itself. He admits that even as a child, he often built various explosive things with match children. It was like a hobby for him.
“All those scenes seen in the movies, for example, through” Captain Tenkešas “, gunpowder turns into dungeons and other similar things … All this caused charm,” recalled A. Blažauskas.
In adolescence, however, the work of the deminer was not considered. “I joked with my father that he would be a cook, a baker, but life turned me into a war,” Andrius said. He studied locksmithing and had to become a manufacturer of locksmith tools, which according to him is also quite a laborious job. However, at that time there was almost no work in Lithuania, so from the age of 16 A.Blažauskas, pushed by his brother, became a volunteer in the national defense system.
At 18, A.Blažauskas went abroad and then received an offer to go on an international mission in the Balkans. “It just came to our attention then. Also, he does a duty to the Homeland. And the finances were tempting. After being on a mission, I finally realized that I wanted to return to the army,” Andrius opened.
Not everyone can
First, A. Blazauskas became a military volunteer. Only later did the desire to become a deminer arise. “There are not many deminers. They do a specific job and they don’t advertise much. Come do your job and go prepare for another one. And Lithuania itself is not a big country,” Andrius said.
According to him, it is very difficult to prepare a suitable specialist for the demining job. It takes a long time and there are people who don’t want to take risks or just get bored of preparing for it. “First, at least secondary education is required. The next step is to join the military. After nine months of compulsory military service, you become a professional soldier. Then the selection must go to our demining company,” said A Blažauskas.
According to Andrius, during the selection the candidate is interviewed, he wants to understand his approach to life, his goals. Knowledge of foreign languages is a great advantage. After selection, there is much to learn, delve into common army issues, and if the person is receptive enough to knowledge, senior commanders decide whether he can become a deminer and be sent to courses.
Another important aspect is hot air. Since it is not possible to make important decisions in this job, such a person cannot be accepted in that job. “And it takes about three years to become an independent deminer, along with all the sciences, courses and practices,” an experienced deminer shared his experience.
The road was not easy
A.Blažauskas achieved his position for 13 years. According to him, everything went gradually. In his first year of service with the company, he completed the first stage of science and became an assistant to the deminer.
Two years later, A. Blažauskas completed the demining course and started working independently. After a few years, he temporarily became a senior specialist, then a chief specialist, and a couple of years ago he was entrusted with the head of the department.
“This is not a short path,” said A. Blažauskas. – It is very difficult to become head of a department, because they are always considered good specialists, and until they assume a higher position, there is no possibility of obtaining a promotion in this specialty. I worked for many years, I tried, I realized, and management decided I was mature enough for that. “
The danger always remains
“We have this saying: a deminer makes a mistake only once. And if it is more precise, it is twice, the first mistake is the choice of this profession and the second, a fatal and irreparable mistake, when the deminer simply evaporates, “said A. Blažauskas.
However, A. Blažauskas does not admit that demining is the most dangerous profession of all. According to him, every job is dangerous, but if you know what you are doing and don’t stand upright in danger, then everything is fine. Andrius says that both the job of a police officer, a firefighter and their job are dangerous, only the deminers are in direct danger so that other people are not harmed.
“The most interesting thing about this profession is that there is no routine. Every time: a different place, a different thing, a different environment that you have to preserve. The solutions are also different: you have to think differently every time, because there are no equal situations, “said A. Blažauskas.
The man admits that the most interesting thing for him: preparing to go to a call to a certain address, he is very curious about what he will find when he goes there: “If you find a great explosive, think about how dangerous it is, how to handle it, what save after all. ” it only finds the information when it reaches the article itself. When you receive a signal that they need you in that direction, you have to respond quickly and go to the call ”, Andrius spoke about the details of his work.
Robots – deminers
From his childhood, A. Blažauskas’ father taught him how to repair machines and tractors, so he is still attracted to various work technologies. Since demining equipment is not standard, not everyone can touch those items, let alone control them.
I joked with my father that he would be a cook, a baker, but life turned me into a war.
“I always feel excited when I think about how to do everything in the most precise, qualitative and best way possible, because the results of my work depend on the lives of those around us and the impact on the environment,” said the deminer.
Andrius also told about the robots owned by the deminers, who are used to calling the eyes, arms and legs of the deminers. The robot has many cameras, one hand, can go to the explosive itself, inspect it and assess the situation, if it is safe for the deminer to get close to the object. “The name of the robot is Motiejus,” presented A.Blažauskas. – Although human capabilities are greater than a robot, to save a life, we can do a lot of work with a robot. It is a tool of our work. “
Relentless adrenaline
According to A.Blažauskas, adrenaline is a constant companion in this work. “We are guided by this thought: if you are too afraid, you will make a big mistake, and if you are not afraid, you will also make a mistake. We often joke with each other: if you are not afraid when you go to the explosive, it means that you should think about changing your profession, because you’re probably wrong with your head, “Andrius joked.
He admits that every time you head for an explosive, there is excitement, but without rushing and making the right decisions, the situation can be resolved quite easily. “When I served as an infantry, of course, that danger looked different. Oh, and becoming a deminer wasn’t scary at first. Rather, he was curious, wondering what works, how that work is done, how that explosion occurs. All of those procedures were interesting. At first, when you learn, you don’t really understand and imagine what the real danger is, it just seems fun to you. The bigger the explosion, the more powerful it is, the more interesting and fun it is. Only when you taste that bread do you understand what that means. For example, if a bullet can injure one person, then an explosion can injure tens or hundreds of people, ”shared Andrius’ experience.
He argued that the perception of danger occurs only over time and through experience, because at first it seems that you can take risks anywhere and anytime, and nothing will happen, but the experience shows something completely different. “Therefore, our training is divided into stages,” explained A. Blažauskas.
After completing the course and gaining enough knowledge about and working with explosives, one still cannot make independent decisions. This requires sufficient experience to ensure that the explosive being neutralized does not cause further harm to the environment, that the safest way to neutralize it is chosen, and that available techniques are used in the most efficient manner possible to minimize or prevent environmental damage.
Sometimes you have to dig
However, the most difficult thing for Andrew in this work is science. “We need to finish my studies with a fairly high score. We have a positive score only when we pass the test at 80 percent. If we get 79 percent, we have not passed it, and the science stages do not consist of a single test” , said.
In tests, you must know everything accurately and answer correctly, and it all depends on the situation and the thing. “There are elements that are not so dangerous to move, to a more comfortable place, and there are other elements that you cannot even move but that you have to do certain operations,” said the deminer.
Deminers sometimes have to dig up a found object with shovels for half a day, because only a small part is visible and the ground is everything. Sometimes it is necessary to install protective structures, because even 3 thousand. sandbags and make special walls so as not to harm the environment.
According to Andrius, building that wall is a good day for five people, and only then does neutralization begin. It all depends on where the explosive is located: in the city or in the forest. “We still joke sometimes when they ask, ‘What can you do?’, And you reply, ‘You can dig, you can dig.’ Sometimes it is necessary to dig from morning to night,” joked A. Blažauskas.
Demined in Lithuania
Explosives are found quite frequently in Lithuania. R.Blažauskas says that sometimes there are days when there are no calls, but there are days when he answers four or five calls per day.
“It also has a lot to do with the time of year and the work being done. For example, spring and fall farm work, construction, during which various explosives are found. Our workload is more seasonal. The more people touch the ground, we have more work, ”he said.
According to A.Blažauskas, there have been times when you wanted to spit. “It all happens over so many years of service in the military. And in a simple job, a person gets tired, needs a vacation, and hopes to rest, but gets additional tasks and at that point there is a desire to spit. But you cut yourself on the shoulder , on the other and continue your work ”, Andrius shared his experience.
However, A. Blažauskas never had any specific thoughts about quitting or changing his job: he says it happens that he gets under his nose, but still does everything he needs. “I never regretted choosing this specialty,” Andrius admitted.
Personal file photo
The most fun for A.Blažauskas in this job is when he knows that the explosive left over from the war has been safely destroyed, no one has suffered and no one will suffer in the future. “I know that no child, farmer or other person who does not know what will find it will find it and will not be harmed.” This work is a duty for the Homeland. I owe it to people. You must do your job well so as not to harm people, the environment. And great joy extends to the heart after a successful, successful operation, ”he said confidently.
Family and friends
When asked about family and friends, Andrius smiles: “Most of my friends are used to working in that kind of job already, and there are no questions. But in the beginning, of course, there were all kinds of reactions. Usually, I ask myself, “Does it still work for that job?” “Yes,” I reply. “Well tell me which wire to cut: blue or red?” He asks jokingly. And the family is probably already used to not having to return at night or resuscitate in the middle of the night and go for demining operations, ”said A. Blažauskas.
It also happens that you are planning to do something, you are going somewhere with your family, but suddenly you call and say that they need you at work and you have to go, you will not do anything.
Andrius wishes patience and knowledge to future deminers. And more love! More love for this specific job, “added the experienced deminer.
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