Safety is Our Passion!
An interview with Łukasz Gajda, paramedic and one of the main organizers of the Open Polish Championships for Water Rescue Workers in Qualified First Aid. Together with Maciej Pawłowski and Mateusz Tomaszewski, he co-creates the championships, which year by year gain nationwide recognition and have a real impact on improving safety in the region. He is actively involved in the Lipno WOPR structures and has been serving as a rescuer for 17 years.
The idea for the championships was born even before the pandemic. What made you carry it out only after a few years?
We had already taken part in various championships as rescuers and noticed that they often attracted participants with medical degrees. This disrupted fair competition. After the pandemic, we decided it was the right moment to create an event specifically for water rescue workers — those who operate on the front line but don’t necessarily hold the title of paramedic.
Łukasz Gajda, fot. Szymon Zdzieblo/tarantoga.pl dla UMWKP
Your championships have quite a unique format – why did you decide to exclude people with formal medical education?
It was about fair competition. In qualified first aid competitions, the winners are often teams with doctors or paramedics. But that’s not the point. In our event, only water rescue workers with current certifications can compete — without professional medical qualifications. These are competitions for people who actually work on the water, not necessarily in hospitals.
Do you see a real impact of the championships on improving safety?
Absolutely. Preparing for the championships motivates rescuers to train, learn, and refine their skills. After the event, they return to their units and share their knowledge — conducting training sessions, educating children and young people. The results of their work are visible, and importantly, they are long-lasting.
Łukasz Gajda, fot. Szymon Zdzieblo/tarantoga.pl dla UMWKP
How do you create the competition scenarios?
All tasks are based on real-life events. We focus on realism — we have 12 events, including two night challenges. The scenarios are written by people with medical rescue experience, including myself — I’ve worked in Emergency Medical Teams for 15 years and in the ER for 12. These are situations that actually happened. At the championships, we see authentic team reactions — stress, mobilization, cooperation. But also mistakes. And that’s the point — to learn from mistakes during competitions, in simulated accidents, not in real life.
An undertaking like this must involve a lot of people. Who supports you?
A huge number of people. Volunteers, role-players, youth from Lipno WOPR, judges, paramedics, sponsors, regional self-government units, media, volunteer fire brigades, women’s community groups… without them, none of this would be possible. It all happens in the spirit of volunteerism, and for that, we give our heartfelt thanks. Each of these people contributes their brick to our common goal — raising the level of safety.
Łukasz Gajda, fot. Szymon Zdzieblo/tarantoga.pl dla UMWKP
What would be your most important advice for young rescuers?
Give it your all. Learn, grow, and save lives the way you would want to be rescued yourself. If you can’t walk past someone in need, and helping others brings you genuine joy — this is the path for you. It’s a direction where you can fulfill yourself, develop, and inspire others through your attitude. I know many medics and WOPR rescuers who started with first aid classes as a hobby — today, it’s their daily life, their mission. In Lipno WOPR, as in many units across Poland, rescue work often becomes a shared passion for entire families and generations. Safety is what drives us.
August 8, 2025