December 27 — The Day of the Ministry of Emergency Situations (Day of the rescuer): history, traditions, how to congratulate

Every year on December 27, Russia celebrates the Day of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, a professional holiday for rescuers, firefighters, civil defense personnel, emergency dispatchers and volunteers who work to prevent and eliminate emergencies. In 2025, the date falls on a Saturday. The history of the holiday, interesting facts from the life of rescuers, examples of congratulations are in the Izvestia material.

The Day of the Ministry of Emergency Situations (Day of the rescuer) – 2025: the history of the holiday

Officially, Russian rescuers had a professional holiday in 1995 by decree of the President of the Russian Federation. December 27 was chosen as the date of the celebration for a reason — it was on this day in 1990 that the Russian Rescue Corps was formed by decree of the Council of Ministers of the RSFSR as a state committee. This structure has become the starting point of the modern Ministry of Emergency Situations and a symbol of the transition from disparate services to a unified emergency response system.

Already in the 17th century, special orders appeared in Moscow responsible for extinguishing fires, which is how the state system of fire control and protection of citizens from large fires was formed step by step.

In the Russian Empire, the functions of rescuing people and urban infrastructure were distributed among fire brigades, engineering troops, and local administration. The former eliminated large fires in cities and factories, the latter built dams, levees and fortifications, helped with floods and man-made accidents. But there was no single specialized agency yet.

A qualitative turnaround occurred in the 20th century. In 1932, the USSR created a system of local air defense (MPVO), focused on protecting cities from air raids, destruction and fires. Over time, it began to carry out tasks to protect the population from the consequences of accidents and natural disasters.

In 1961, the MPVO was reorganized into the USSR Civil Defense, which took a central place in the country's security system. Its specialists were responsible for preparing the population for a possible war, developing evacuation plans, organizing shelters, as well as eliminating the consequences of man-made disasters and natural disasters. It is these personnel, infrastructure and experience that have become the foundation of the future of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations.

By the end of the 1980s, it became obvious that the country needed a specialized structure capable of comprehensively dealing with all types of emergencies, from industrial accidents and floods to major man-made disasters. The answer was the creation of the Russian Rescue Corps on December 27, 1990, as the State Committee of the RSFSR (GKCHS). He was assigned the tasks of forecasting, preventing and eliminating emergencies, as well as coordinating all the services involved.

Already on July 30, 1991, the corps was transformed into the State Committee for Emergency Situations, which united the civil defense forces and new professional rescue units.

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The next key stage occurred in 1994, when the State Emergency Committee was transformed into the Ministry of the Russian Federation for Civil Defense, Emergencies and Disaster Management. It officially included the civil defense forces, and in 2001 the State Fire Service was attached to the Ministry.

Today, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations is a multi-level system that includes a central office, regional offices, main departments by region, rescue centers, aviation, civil defense forces, the State Fire Service and GIMS.

The Agency participates in hundreds of emergency response operations every year, extinguishes hundreds of thousands of fires, saves the lives of hundreds of thousands of people, and works both inside and outside the country, participating in humanitarian and rescue missions. For more than three decades, the service has become an integral part of the national security system and a symbol of state responsibility for the life and security of citizens.

Traditions of celebrating the Day of the Ministry of Emergency Situations (Day of the Rescuer)

On the Day of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, solemn meetings and expanded boards are held at the federal and regional levels. The management summarizes the results of the year, reports on the most significant operations, the best employees and veterans are awarded state and departmental awards, medals, distinctions and commendations.

Rallies and wreath-laying at memorials in honor of rescuers and firefighters who died in the line of duty are taking place in Russian regions. Commemorative actions and minutes of silence emphasize that working in the Ministry of Emergency Situations is associated not only with high responsibility, but also with a risk to life.

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Open events are held in cities and municipalities, citizens can see modern fire and rescue equipment, equipment for high-altitude work, debris removal, fire extinguishing and search and rescue operations, as well as spectacular demonstrations by canine units.

On the Day of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, schools, colleges, and universities host thematic lessons, meetings with active rescuers and firefighters who talk about safety rules, behavior in emergency situations, the basics of first aid, as well as what personal qualities, physical fitness, and education are needed to work in the Ministry of Emergency Situations. For high school students and students, such meetings often become an element of career guidance.

Congratulations on the Day of the Ministry of Emergency Situations (Day of the Rescuer)

On the Day of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, congratulations are addressed to employees and veterans of the Ministry, fire protection, civil defense troops, rescue and search-and-rescue units, emergency dispatchers, volunteers and cadets of specialized educational institutions. Izvestia has prepared several examples of how this can be done.:

"Dear rescuers and employees of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations! Congratulations on your professional holiday. In the most difficult moments, the country relies on you. Thank you for your endurance, courage and willingness to move forward where others are already afraid. We wish you the reliable shoulder of your comrades, good health and as many quiet shifts as possible without emergencies. May each operation be completed successfully, the equipment does not fail, and people always wait at home with warmth and pride!"

"Congratulations on the Day of the Ministry of Emergency Situations! You are not only protecting objects and territories, you are protecting human lives. Your job requires a clear mind, a cool head, and a warm heart. May the decisions you make always turn out to be correct, and the respect of people and the support of loved ones help you cope with any stress!"

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"Dear employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations and Civil Defense! We wish you professional success, a worthy appreciation of your work and confidence in the future. Let the alarms remain educational, and real emergencies go without casualties. I wish you and your families good health, steady nerves and peaceful everyday life."

"Dear veterans of the Ministry of Emergency Situations and current employees! Over the decades, you have turned the rescue service into one of the pillars of national security. We wish trouble-free service, reliable equipment, close-knit teams and well-being to your families. May your experience be a reliable support for new generations, and may people's gratitude be the main result!"

"Congratulations on the Day of the Rescuer! We wish that each departure ends with the words "the threat has been eliminated", and those who needed your help remained alive and well. Let every day bring a sense of the need and importance of your business, and in your personal life there is always enough time for rest, communication with loved ones and simple human joys."

Ministry of Emergency Situations Day – 2025: vivid rescue stories

There are always specific human destinies behind the phrases "emergency response" and "rescue operations." Izvestia has collected several interesting episodes from recent decades:

• In April 2005, in Moscow, in the residential complex "Golden Keys" on Setunsky Passage, a fire broke out in an apartment on one of the upper floors of a 32-storey building. The fire spread to the balcony of the 25th floor, where an elderly couple was blocked. The elevator was stopped, the escape routes were filled with smoke, and the roller staircase did not reach the required height. The only chance was to climb up the facade. Colonel Evgeny Chernyshev climbed up an assault ladder about six meters long. Clinging to the cornices and window openings, under fire and in thick smoke, he reached the burning balcony, first carried out the woman, then returned for the man. Both were rescued without burns. Later, the officer finalized the design of the assault ladder — it had a double hook attachment, a folding mechanism, an improved anti-slip coating, and the upgraded model was put into mass production for high-altitude work by the Ministry of Emergency Situations.
• In 2016, four killer whales, three adults and a cub, were trapped in the ice in Mordvinov Bay near the village of Starodubskoye in the Sakhalin Region. Two individuals were located fifty meters from the shore, the other two were about 100 meters away and could have died of exhaustion, since the soldered ice and shallow water did not allow large vessels to be brought to them for help. Rescuers of the Sakhalin Search and Rescue squad of the Polyakov Ministry of Emergency Situations, fire protection officers and GIMS worked in icy water for two days. With the help of a boat, ropes and poles, they expanded the wormwood, turned over and pushed away the ice floes, paving a corridor to clear water. As a result, all four killer whales went to sea alive.
• In May 1998, Yakutsk Lensk was flooded due to a powerful ice jam on Lena. Up to 90% of the urban area was under water, the height of flooding reached up to 20 meters in places, thousands of houses were destroyed, tens of thousands of people were evacuated. The Centrospas squad sent 25 rescuers to the disaster area. In the cold, snowfall, and strong winds, they picked people up from roofs and trees on boats. As a result, they rescued about two hundred people, organized meals and accommodation for the evacuees. Later, blasting operations from helicopters made it possible to break the ice jams and return the river to its course.

Earlier, Izvestia told about the history and traditions of the Russian Military Air Defense Day.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.